Jason Momoa is usually splashed across our screens as Aquaman, but his latest venture is a little closer to home than the DC Universe. On the Roam, a new eight-part docuseries streaming on Discovery+, sees the Hollywood actor travel across the United States on his motorcycle – making stops to meet with homegrown artisans and craftsmen, many of whom are his friends and mentors, along the way. From the restoration of a 1936 Knucklehead bike in both Tennessee and North Carolina to guitar restoration with Guns n’ Roses very own Slash at Gibson Guitars’ headquarters, the show is Momoa at his most authentic, describing himself as “a vagabond, a dirtbag, a roamer” seeking out “the artists who are doing things out of their own shops and back yards.”
Condé Nast Traveller caught up with Momoa to discuss some of the pitstops he made, his passion for craftsmanship, and where he dreams of riding his motorcycle next.
Your new show is set in some amazing locations. Do you have any favourites?
I’m very well-travelled. I was born in Hawaii, grew up in Iowa, and I’ve been lucky enough to travel a lot for work. The really cool thing about the show, though, is the people that I filmed with. There is a huge sense of intimacy, for me, in going to Fort Worth and being in [knife-maker] Terry Shank’s home, for example. This is about America opening up its doors and inviting you into their homes. There is real beauty in that. You might travel around and see landmarks and cool places, but this is about people really letting you into their lives. That’s where the real connection comes into play.
How did the idea for the show come about?
I’m really curious, and I want to keep learning. When I’m building my characters – whether it’s Aquaman or Baba Voss for See – I come up with my own style, and I put a lot into it. [This time] I wanted to show myself with my friends, coming together over something that we built together. My job as an actor is to study life, and this [show] is another way of studying life. I felt a real need to go out and make these stories, showing people creating and rebuilding things. [On the Roam] is about restoration and bringing things back to life.
What defines good craftsmanship for you?
It can be as simple as somebody making something in their garage. Each craftsman I’ve worked with for this show has had their own style and their own ideals of perfectionism. They can make two of something a year, and I’m into it. I want to encourage people to seek out [creatives] on their own, to see the human connection through these [processes] that bond and connect us.
Your parents were both artists. How did that creativity influence you?
My family all played music. My grandfather was the leader and he played electric guitar; both my uncles played bass, I played the guitar, my dad did the bongos and ukulele, and they all sang. And then my whole family in Iowa, who mainly raised me, are all masons and hunters, so I’ve been sort of surrounded by craftsmen my whole life. I was raised by a mother who didn’t know how to do things like build bikes, but she had an amazing eye. She sacrificed everything and did a lot of random jobs to put food on the table, for which I’ll always be grateful, but I think I got my eye for things from her. She was a photographer and it’s the way she saw the world that influenced me so much. That’s what is at the heart of this show.
The first episode sees you rebuilding old Harley Davidson bikes and you’re a big bike fan by your own admission. What was your first motorcycle?
I was 19 years old, and I was working on Baywatch Hawaii and not making much money. I was living at my father‘s house, and I drove his car and saved up to get a Harley Davidson. I still have it and it features in my film, Road to Paloma. I’ve driven it to the Midwest from the West Coast, but I haven’t been across America on it. One of my dreams is to ride from Alaska to Patagonia, but I haven’t had that much time off to be able to do that! I’m also not sure my bike would make it anyway. I’d like to do the Cannonball Race one day, too.
