Here’s Jason Momoa’s bizarre big screen debut in Johnson Family Vacation explained. These days, Jason Momoa is best known for his role as subaquatic superhero Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe. He made his debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016, before appearing in the follow-up Justice League and then starring in standalone movie Aquaman. Momoa will soon reprise his role in sequel Aquaman 2 which is set for a 2022 release.
Others will know Jason Momoa from one of his many TV roles. He played the humanoid alien Ronon Dex in four seasons of sci-fi series Stargate Atlantis and played Daenerys Targaryen’s ill-fated husband Khal Drago during the first season of Game Of Thrones. More recently, Momoa starred as fur trader Declan Harp in Canadian historical drama Frontier and currently has a main role in the Apple TV+ dystopian sci-fi series See as tribe leader Baba Voss.
Momoa’s first-ever role was on Baywatch: Hawaii on which he spent two seasons running in slow motion while playing lifeguard Jason Ioane. But it’s the 2004 comedy Johnson Family Vacation that boasts the honor of giving Jason Momoa his first big screen credit. The film stars Cedric the Entertainer as California family man Nate Johnson who takes a disastrous road trip with his three reluctant kids (played by Bow Wow, Solange Knowles and Gabby Soleil) and estranged wife (Vanessa Williams) en route to a family reunion in Missouri.
In one scene, the family stop by what Nate thinks is a Native American reservation but turns out to be a casino. After asking a casino worker where he can see “some real, old-school Indians,” Nate is directed to Jason Momoa’s character Navarro who switches out of his casino uniform into something a little more comfortable and stereotypically Native American. He proceeds to give Nate directions via a series of bizarrely flirtatious poses while the camera and Solange Knowles’ character ogle his body unabashedly.
Johnson Family Vacation didn’t perform well critically or commercially, and currently has a measly 6% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly a career highlight for Jason Momoa or anyone else involved for that matter. Nevertheless, a Johnson Family Vacation sequel is reportedly in the works at Fox Searchlight. Titled Johnson Family Celebration, the sequel will see Cedric the Entertainer reprise his role as Nate Johnson. Whether Jason Momoa will also return for the sequel remains to be seen - but audiences shouldn't hold their breaths.