‘This is my ancestors, this is my people': Why ‘Chief of War' is Jason Momoa's most personal project yet

Boston Globe

30-07-2025

Jason Momoa in "Chief of War."
Apple TV+
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'It makes me emotional,' said Momoa, who not only stars in the series but co-created and co-wrote it with frequent collaborator Thomas Pa'a Sibbett. 'It's your life's work, you know?'
'I've never taken everything out like that. I got nothing else left,' he added. 'This is my ancestors, this is my people, my family — nothing's been done like this.'
Momoa, who turns 46 on Friday, the same day 'Chief of War' premieres its first two episodes, also served as an executive producer and directed the season finale. He takes center stage as protagonist Ka'iana, an exiled war chief trying to live in peace with his family.
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Ka'iana is driven by his sense of duty and reluctantly joins a bloody campaign led by the power hungry King Kahekili of Maui (Temuera Morrison), who manipulates Ka'iana into helping him take over a neighboring kingdom. At odds with the king, Momoa's character and his family flee the clutches of Kahekili.
In addition to showcasing these historical battles, the show explores early conflicts and cultural exchanges between the native populace and outsiders from the West. While traveling the world aboard a British merchant ship, Ka'iana learns firsthand about firearms and the horrors of colonization, bringing this knowledge back to his people when he returns home. He later joins forces with King Kamehameha of Hawai'i (Kaina Makua) in his bid to unite the islands into one kingdom. The show is largely inspired by real events.
Having starred in
From left: Jason Momoa and Temuera Morrison in "Chief of War."
Apple TV+
'I thought 'Star Wars' was big, but this was just as big,' said Morrison, 64. In a Zoom interview, the longtime 'Star Wars' actor noted that costar Cliff Curtis compared 'Chief of War' to working on James Cameron's 'Avatar.' 'They don't get any bigger than 'Star Wars,' 'Avatar,' and all those, but this was big. It's epic.'
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'I could get a sense of how big it was when we were down in New Zealand. It looked like everybody I knew for over the 30 years of the film industry were on set,' added the New Zealand actor, who's of Māori descent.
In addition to featuring mostly Polynesian performers, the dialogue of the series is spoken predominantly in the 'Ōlelo Hawai'i language, which Momoa, Morrison, and the rest of the cast worked tirelessly to learn. Morrison said that he wanted to 'be the best one' to impress native speakers in the audience
'It was like going back to school again, which I wasn't very good at,' joked Morrison about the language lessons he had to take with his cast members in Hawai'i. 'These things only come along once in a blue moon, so I'm very proud to be involved with the project.'
'You have to remember, [the cast] didn't know how to speak Ōlelo … and it's nothing like Māori,' said Momoa.
Momoa said he and his team went to great lengths to make sure that everything from the dialect to even certain facial expressions during battle scenes were authentic to Hawaiian practices and culture, praising stars Curtis (who plays nobleman Keōua) and Morrison, in particular, for embracing the language and their roles. 'They transformed,' said Momoa, adding that 'they definitely deserve some nods' when awards season comes around.
From left: Temuera Morrison and Ocean Kaowili in "Chief of War."
Apple TV+
Momoa, who was born in Hawai'i, raised in Iowa, and is of Native Hawaiian and Samoan descent, recalled how, as a kid, he'd take a 'deep dive' into his ancestral history while visiting places like the
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'There's not a lot of Hawaiian actors and there has not [been] a lot of opportunities,' Momoa said. 'The funny thing is, we shoot a lot here, but we're not telling Hawaiian stories here, at least not to that level.'
Morrison admitted that he was hesitant at first to accept the call to play King Kahekili, as he didn't want to take the job from a Hawaiian actor. However, Momoa reminded him to focus on the shared brotherhood of Polynesian cultures.
''We're the same people, brother.' And those simple words, I knew that anyway, but it was a reminder,' said Morrison. And with a cast featuring many first-time performers, the actor sensed Momoa also 'needed some experienced fellas around.'
Mainei Kinimaka in "Chief of War."
Apple TV+
Growing up watching historical epics like 'The Last of the Mohicans,' 'Dances with Wolves,' and 'Braveheart,' Momoa wanted to create something in that vein rooted in Hawaiian lore. He and Sibbett researched and worked on ideas 'for a decade,' finding inspiration in Arthurian legends as their way into telling stories about kings like Kamehameha, who famously united the Hawaiian Islands under one rule in 1810.
While they would eventually bring the idea to Apple TV+, Momoa didn't want to pitch the show until he had proven himself as a star, even though creating a show like 'Chief of War' had always 'been a real big goal.'
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'I needed to wait until 'Aquaman' did well. I needed to wait until I had flexed my acting muscles with 'See' and proven myself to a network that was worthy of making something on this scale,' Momoa said, later admitting he never thought he'd get the chance to lead a project of this scale when he started acting. 'No, not from ['Baywatch: Hawaii'], I did not think I would get here. But I did know that, when I did fall in love with acting, I knew I wanted to direct and tell stories. I knew I was capable of telling some Hawaiian stories.'
Jason Momoa in "Chief of War."
Apple TV+
Both Momoa and Morrison want 'Chief of War' to motivate viewers in Polynesia and beyond to embrace the history of the islands, with Momoa hoping they'll feel proud and inspired to 'fight for our language, our cultural arts, I mean everything — our stories.'
'I want all the young people of Polynesia to look at this and feel proud that we're the same people,' said Morrison. 'And that's important, knowing who you are.'
Bringing the stories of his ancestors to life after all of these years, Momoa said the wait was worth it, calling 'Chief of War' 'the tip of the spear' of his career.
'This is the tippy top,' said Momoa. 'This is as high as it gets for me.'
'Chief of War' premieres Friday on Apple TV+.
Matt Juul can be reached at