Art imitates life.
Jason Momoa may be known for projects such as Aquaman and Game of Thrones, but his role as Flip in Netflix's newly released film Slumberland allowed him an opportunity to step into a project where he plays an eccentric character alongside co-star 14-year-old Marlow Barkley.
And while, yes, this is different than what viewers normally see of Jason onscreen, the 43-year-old told E! News he was drawn to the project because it reflects who he is on the daily as a dad to 13-year-old Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha and 15-year-old Lola Iolani, who he shares with ex Lisa Bonet.
"It's all because of Francis [Lawrence]. He just knows me," Jason said of Slumberland's director. "He gets to see me with my kids. He sees how I am on set. He just pitched me the story and it made me cry."
Jason added that his real-life role as a father made it that much more of a special experience working with Marlow.
"My babies are the same age as her, so it was nice my first time working with a kid actor," he added. "She was wonderful. She's so talented. She's intelligent but at the same time, wasn't trying to be older. You got to be young."
And Jason didn't just channel his inner dad for the role, but also his inner child.
He said of Marlow, "I was just trying to be younger than her and just be caught in that forever-boy age. So, I guess there's a lot of that in there—in the movie."
Also starring Kyle Chandler and Chris O'Dowd, the project follows Marlow's character Nemo to a world known as Slumberland, where she and Flip embark on a journey through both dreams and nightmares to help Nemo see her father again.
As for what it was like to film such a movie alongside Jason, Marlow exclusively told E! News they had fun "everyday" and "every minute" on set.
She added, "He was everything I wanted him to be and more. Always made me laugh. Always knew how to have a good time."
Slumberland is now streaming on Netflix.