Temuera Morrison wants native Hawaiians to be proud of 'Chief of War'

UPI

5 days ago

1 of 5 | Jason Momoa (L) and Temuera Morrison star in "Chief of War," premiering Friday. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+
NEW YORK, July 31 (UPI) -- Aquaman and The Book of Boba Fett actor Temuera Morrison says he hopes native Hawaiians are proud that Chief of War focuses on their history and features a primarily Polynesian cast.
"This is very fresh. I haven't seen anything quite like this before in my whole life," Morrison, 64, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
"At the end of the day, I want Hawaiian people to be proud and reclaim themselves, reclaim their identity and feel proud about their Hawaiian heritage," the New Zealander added. "We're blessed because we're all the same people."
Morrison said that on the first day of filming, the woman who operated the boom microphone told him he was playing her ancestor.
#ChiefOfWar premieres tomorrow.
ʻĀpōpō ka hōʻike mua o Chief of War. pic.twitter.com/zP9F8v73t3— Apple TV (@AppleTV) July 31, 2025
"That's all she said and she waled away and I said, 'Oh, my God!' It suddenly hit me that we have a responsibility here. We are representing all these people and I am playing her ancestor. Fortunately for me, she never hit me on the head with her microphone, so I must have been on the right track."
Premiering Friday on Apple TV+, the nine-episode series takes place in 18th century Hawaii when the islands' leaders disagreed about whether they should peacefully unify or conquer each other.
Jason Momoa co-wrote and produced the action drama, in which he also plays Ka'iana, the titular hero.
Morrison plays his frenemy Chief Kahekili and Cliff Curtis plays Keoua, another rival king.
"Jason needed some support posts around him. He knew Cliff and I had the experience in this medium," Morrison said.
"We were humbled to get the opportunity. Personally, it was quite an adventure, spiritually, culturally. We all had to learn the Hawaiian language. That was quite challenging."
Morrison admitted he initially had some reservations about taking on the pivotal role in such an epic.
"I'm very, very grateful that I decided to do this project because I was trying to run away in the beginning. I didn't think I could do it," he recalled.
"Then, there were things like the cold. We were running around with hardly any clothes on. My feet aren't as hard as our Polynesian ancestors' used to be. Every now and then, I'd be like: 'Ah! Ah! Can I wear my shoes, please, please!' The volcanic rocks were killing me, but what a journey it's been."
It was Hawaiian-born Momoa who convinced Morrison to join the epic project.
"Jason said: 'Bro, bro, we're the same people, man! We're the same people. Get on board!' So, with those words of encouragement, I said, 'Yeah, bro, you are right. I think it's about sharing our Polynesian culture and heritage and supporting one another," Morrison said.
Fear the Walking Dead and The Meg alum Curtis, 57, described his and Morrison's characters as the antagonists of the story.
"The hero's journey is shown through the character Ka'iana, played by Jason Momoa. He's the chief who left the Hawaiian islands, went into the world and came back with technology to help unite the islands," Curtis said.
"The chief of war has to choose which king he is going to fight for. It's a classic, archetypal story structure. Even though there is a new language and new costumes, visages and things that look different, the classical structure is something that all of humanity can relate to and recognize themselves in it."
The geopolitics of the bygone era mirrors what some people are still experiencing in 2025, Curtis noted.
"As we look back to our past, we see our ancestors struggle with the very same things as our current situation in the world," he added. "To live in peace or live in war."
The ensemble also includes Luciane Buchanan,Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Kaina Makua, Moses Goods, Siua Ikale'o, Brandon Finn, James Udom, Mainei Kinimaka, Te Kohe Tuhaka and Benjamin Hoetjes.
Jason Momoa's career: epic action roles and red carpets
Jason Momoa (C), a cast member in "Conan the Barbarian," attends the premiere of the film with his girlfriend at the time, actress Lisa Bonet (R), and her daughter with Lenny Kravitz, actress Zoe Kravitz, at the Regal Theatre in Los Angeles on August 11, 2011. Bonet and Momoa have two children together, daughter Lola Iolani and son Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo