Jason Momoais no stranger to fight scenes. Since he exploded into the cultural zeitgeist with the likes ofGame of ThronesandAquaman, Momoa has fought with swords, guns, and even Tridents. Yet according toIndieWire’s recent interviewwith Momoa, the fighting that is displayed inDenis Villeneuve’s adaptation ofDuneis a fighting style that he wasn’t entirely familiar with.
According to Momoa, “We did a bunch of stuff like Kali. I never really learned that. My son does that." Kali, also known as Arnis, is a martial arts technique that is native to the Philippines. Its emphasis is on weapon-based combat, be it with sticks, knives, or even improvised weapons.
Momoa, who playsDuncan Idahoin the film, describes his character as a mentor figure to Paul Atreides (TimothéeChalamet), basing Duncan on the idols that Momoa had in his life growing up.
“Those men that come in your life, and they go on these journeys, whether they’re mountaineers or skateboarders, they go on these adventures, and they come back and tell them, and you just idolize them. That’s what I really felt like Duncan was to Timothee’s character. That’s what I wanted to embody when playing this role.”
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During the sessions where Chalamet and Momoa spar, Momoa admitted that his Kali fighting held a much more profound meaning to him. “There’s definitely these intimate moments where I’m signaling to my son. That’s a Kali move, where you put your hand on your heart and put it on your head. That’s to Timothée in the movie, but that’s to my son in real life.”
Dunefans are eagerly awaiting to see if Warner Bros.will greenlight a sequel, as this latest adaptation only covers about half of the story from the 1965 sci-fi epic. There have been several attempts to bring the novel to the big screen, most notably fromDavidLynch in 1984, and even that didn’t bring the entireDunesaga to the silver screen.
Duneis in theaters and on HBO Max now. Also check out Collider’s interview with Momoa below, in which he further discusses the moment inDunethat was for his son.
NEXT:‘Aquaman 2’: Jason Momoa Reveals New Stealth Suit for ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’
