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Jason Momoa Thought He Wouldn't Be a Good Father After Growing up Without One: "I Really Want to Connect"
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Jason Momoa Thought He Wouldn't Be a Good Father After Growing up Without One: "I Really Want to Connect"

The actor shares two children, Wolf and Lola, with his wife Lisa Bonet, and is stepdad to actress Zoë Kravitz.

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Sure, Jason Momoa is one of the sexiest men in Hollywood, but what's sexier is that he isn't afraid to be vulnerable about his feelings. The Aquaman actor opened up to InStyle, talking about his own childhood and how it affects him as being a dad. The actor shares two children, Wolf and Lola, with his wife Lisa Bonet, whom he married in 2017 after the pair were together for 12 years. He's a stepdad, or more affectionately known as "papa bear" to actress Zoë Kravitz, who Lisa Bonet shares with musician Lenny Kravitz.

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The 41-year-old had grown up without a father at home, so he admitted that he "didn't know what it takes to be a dad. And I don't want to just tell my son, 'Because I said so,'" he continued of 12-year-old Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha, a.k.a. Wolf. "I really want to connect, and I want him to be vulnerable and open." His roles on-screen in productions like Game of Thrones and Aquaman may portray an image of the actor being a brawny, tough-guy. But there's more to him than that. The star stressed the importance of embracing one's vulnerability. "I'm a warrior, and I will lay it down," he said. "But I'm also the first one to say, 'I have a lot of problems, and I want to be able to correct those problems.'" Momoa is an example of modern-day masculinity. Dressed all in pink for his interview, which included two pink scrunchies, the Baywatch: Hawaii star said, “Pink is just a beautiful color,” he says. “And I’m pretty secure in my masculinity. I don’t really give a sh*t what anyone thinks.” He added that "we all have the feminine and the male side in us, and we need to embrace both."

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Perhaps it has something to also do with being raised by a single mom. “I’m definitely a product of two very opposite worlds,” he said of his parents. He was also bullied a lot as the only mixed-race kid in his Iowa elementary school. “I got beat up a lot,” he revealed. “Just for being slightly different—it was gnarly. I mean, I wore Birkenstocks in middle school, and it was like, ‘You are a freak!’” But by age 19, Momoa landed a role in Baywatch Hawaii and the rest was history. But it wasn't easy.

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"I mean, we were starving after Game Of Thrones,” he confessed. “I couldn’t get work. It’s very challenging when you have babies and you’re completely in debt.” But with roles like with roles in Aquaman and Justice League and Dune, things were looking up again. “It was ‘Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem,’ and I’m just like, ‘Oh my god. I can’t believe my name was with those names,'” Momoa gushed. “I feel like I’m still a kid, freaking out.”

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As for his blended family, Momoa has nothing but love for everyone. Talking to Men's Health, spoke fondly of his wife's ex Lenny Kravitz, even calling him "cooler" for the way he handled his daughter (and Momoa's stepdaughter), Zoë Kravitz, bringing boyfriends around. "Lenny is way cooler than I am. I was baffled," he joked adding that he would not be as cool with his 13-year-old daughter Lola. "I'm not going to do well with it," he admitted. "I'll just hate it if she brings home some dipsh*t bad boy. ... I'm like, 'If you find a man who treats you better than I [treat wife Lisa Bonet], good luck!'" The family clearly shares a fun-loving yet strong bond and it's obvious that Momoa is a great dad and stepdad despite his own upbringing. And it doesn't matter if they're related by blood or not. Kravitz often affectionately refers to Momoa as “papa bear”, and Momoa once told PEOPLE in 2018 that “Zoë is a beautiful human being.”  

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References:

https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a34498165/jason-momoa-dune-interview/

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https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/jason-momoa-dune-interview-2020

https://people.com/parents/jason-momoa-daughter-lola-dating-difference-lenny-kravitz-mens-health/

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Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Kevin Winter