When it comes to casting an actor for a role, it’s super important for that actor to resemble and embody said character. When Jason Momoa was cast as Aquaman, there was no doubt that he was the perfect choice to play the role.

Jason has taken the world by storm as of late. People love his acting and love him as a person even more. He has some distinctive good looks that make him stick out from many of the actors in Hollywood today. He had an interesting start to his career — starting off as a model before he got his first real gig on Baywatch Hawaii. From then on out, Jason’s career took off to a point where he’s now considered the Aquaman that we know and love.

Here are facts few people know about Jason Momoa before he became famous.

14 He Was Born In Hawaii

Jason Momoa was born in Hawaii, as if his appearance wasn’t a dead giveaway enough. He didn’t grow up there, however, he moved to Norwalk, Iowa when he was a child where he was raised by his mother. Once he graduated high school he moved back to Hawaii where he attended college.

13 He Was Discovered By A Fashion Designer

Although Jason Momoa went to college, there was one fateful meeting that changed his life forever. One day, he ran into Takeo Kobayashi, an international fashion designer. Once Jason was discovered by the designer, his unsuspecting modeling career suddenly took off, and he found himself in a whole new world.

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12 He Started Off Modeling

There’s no denying that Jason Momoa has some extremely good looks. After he was discovered by Takeo Kobayashi, he began his modeling career. He walked the runway for many designers including Louis Vuitton. His biggest accomplishment was in 1999 when he won Hawaii’s Model of the Year award.

11 His First Role Was Baywatch

After garnering such a successful modeling career, Jason decided that he wanted to try his hand at acting. In 1999 he tried out for a big role on Baywatch Hawaii. He auditioned for the role alongside 1,000 other actors, where he beat them all out to play the role of Jason Loane for a few seasons on the hit show.

10 He Went To College For Biology

When he first started college, Jason decided that he wanted to study marine biology. After a while, he decided to switch schools and attend Colorado State University where he then changed his major to wildlife biology instead. However, thanks to his career suddenly taking off, he had no use for his schooling.

9 His Big Acting Break Was Stargate: Atlantis

We all know by now that Jason starred in Baywatch Hawaii, however, his career really kicked off when he played Ronon Dex in the TV show Stargate: Atlantis in 2005. The show was based on the movie Stargate and aired on the Sci-FI Channel for five seasons and came to an end in 2009.

Related: 14 Sweet Photos Of Jason Momoa And Lisa Bonet's Blended Family

8 He Used To Rock Dreadlocks

Jason’s character on Stargate: Atlantis, Ronon Dex, was known for having dreadlocks. Jason’s own hair was in dreadlocks for the show, and because they were so heavy, he was suffering a lot from headaches and neck pain. As a result, he asked permission to cut them off before season five of the show began filming. Once they started filming, they had to sew dreadlocks into his hair which took hours to do. Instead, they settled on a wig for him.

7 He Has His Own Production Company

Many people might not know that Jason has his own production company, Pride of Gypsies, that was founded in 2010. The company produced several television ads and campaigns, as well as some short films and a feature film. Jason has had a hand in most of the productions that the company has produced.

6 He Created A Brand Of Canned Water

Jason Momoa is very passionate about maintaining the Earth and saving our planet. As a result, he teamed up with the Ball Corporation to create canned water. By putting the water in aluminum cans instead of plastic bottles, we reduce our use of plastic, and the cans are able to be recycled easier.

Related: 12 Things Jason Momoa Does To Stay In Shape

5 He Became Buddhist

After Baywatch Hawaii ended Jason decided that he wanted to take some time to himself, and he started to travel the world. One of the places he visited was Tibet. While he was there he discovered Buddhism, where he learned about it and decided that he wanted to become Buddhist.

4 He Got His Scar From A Fight

One noticeable characteristic of Jason Momoa is the scar on his face. It’s an intriguing scar to have, and many people have wondered where he got it. On November 15, 2008, he was at the Bird Café in Hollywood where a man used a broken beer glass to slash Jason’s face. He was rushed to the hospital where he received 140 stitches.

3 He Has A Wide Ancestry

Looking at Jason, you can’t help but notice his distinctive good looks — there was a reason why he was chosen to play Aquaman — and that’s because he has an interesting ancestry. His father is Samoan while his mother is German, Irish, and Native American. Mixed all together and you get a very good looking Jason Momoa!

2 He Originally Auditioned For Batman

Before Jason got the role of Aquaman, he originally auditioned for Batman. When it came time for the audition, he decided that he really didn’t want to do it, and that he didn’t fit the part. He still went through with the audition, not playing the part up to par, but they did see something in him, and they called him two weeks later to offer him the part of Aquaman.

1 He Married His Wife In 2007, But Made It Official In 2017

Jason has been with his wife Lisa Bonet for well over a decade now. The two got married in 2007, however, the wedding wasn’t official. As a result, they formally got married in October 2017. They have two kids together, a daughter and a son, while Lisa has her daughter with Lenny Kravitz, Zoë.

Next: That Time Jason Momoa Went Total Fan Boy For His Favorite Musician