Game of Thrones Was Hell for Me—Jason Momoa Finally Tells the Whole Truth

Known for his towering presence and commanding performances, Jason Momoa has tackled a wide range of roles throughout his career—from ocean-dwelling superheroes in Aquaman to fierce warriors in Dune. Yet, for all his larger-than-life characters, it was a silent, brutal warlord that pushed Momoa to his limits: Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones.

In a candid interview with The New York Times, later echoed in The Independent, Momoa described portraying the Dothraki leader as “really, really, really hard,” revealing that the role took a significant emotional toll. “It was important to depict Drogo and his style,” Momoa said. “But my job was to play something like that, and it’s not a nice thing.” He likened the role to playing a figure akin to Genghis Khan—imposing, violent, and emotionally distant.

Though Khal Drogo’s run on Game of Thrones was brief, it was intense. The character rarely spoke English, relied heavily on physicality, and was central to some of the series’ most disturbing early scenes, including those involving sexual violence. For Momoa, embodying a man capable of such acts while maintaining any sense of nuance proved deeply uncomfortable. “It’s not a nice thing,” he repeated—a phrase that underlines the conflict between the demands of the role and his personal boundaries as an actor.

While Momoa has taken on physically demanding parts before—such as the blind warrior Baba Voss in Apple TV+’s See, or the flamboyant villain Dante Reyes in Fast X—none appear to have left the same emotional residue. In See, he had to perform complex action sequences without relying on sight and deliver emotionally raw performances based solely on other senses. He praised the show for allowing him to explore themes like fatherhood and vulnerability—layers he couldn’t bring to Drogo.

Roles like Joe Braven in Braven and Duncan Idaho in Dune required grit and physical stamina, but they lacked the deep moral complexity that made Game of Thrones such a difficult turning point. Even the over-the-top, stunt-heavy demands of his blockbuster franchises didn’t seem to weigh on him as much as the psychological challenge of portraying a violent, emotionally closed character like Drogo.

Ultimately, it’s not the epic scale or stunt work that marked Momoa’s most grueling role—it’s the dark emotional territory he had to inhabit. “Drogo was hard,” he said plainly. And coming from a man who’s literally scaled walls, led armies, and battled underwater creatures, that says everything.

As Momoa continues to evolve on screen, this early role remains a poignant reminder of how acting—at its most raw and confronting—can cut deeper than any blade.