There’s no disputing that Jason Momoa was in his element in Fast X, stepping into the action genre as villain Dante, but the actor improvised one of his most tragic scenes.
The 43-year-old plays as the son of Fast Five’s Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), who has a quarrel with Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his gang in the Fast and Furious sequel, which hit theatres today.
In one weird moment, he gives an invisible individual a pedicure while drinking a cocktail with another, until we see they are the dead bodies of two henchmen – video that made several people uncomfortable.
When asked about the contentious scene, director Louis Leterrier said that it almost didn’t make the final edit, with Jason improvising heavily to emphasise how twisted up his character truly was.
‘No, it was never controversial, but it is a very polarizing scene,’ the filmmaker said of the reactions in a new interview. ‘It was not scripted. We wanted more of Jason Momoa’s Dante, so we improvised a little bit more. We wanted to see Dante when he is not peacocking. We wanted to see Dante behind closed doors and realize that he is really twisted. It’s not just an act.
‘So we shot that scene, but we thought it would be a DVD extra at best or in the director’s cut version later down the road. So we started testing the movie without it, and then we started testing the movie with that scene. And the audience went crazy for it.
‘Some were angry and some loved it. It was all so different. And frankly, it was the studio’s Donna Langley who watched the scene and said, “I love it. I love the insanity of that scene.” And so she gave us the okay.’
Louis also couldn’t get enough of working with Jason, who portrays the villain to absolute perfection – and said that they frequently coordinated behind the scenes to get his language just right.
‘What you have to realize is that Jason and I love each other. We found each other on this movie, and we realized that making each other laugh was a great way to create Dante,’ he continued to the Hollywood Reporter. ‘So we rewrote the dialogue together. I’d say, “You should say enchanté,” and then we would add “very bad daddy.”
‘We really liked making each other laugh, and the extra points, the joker of our game, was to get Vin to crack up and come out of character as Dom Toretto. So we tried really hard, like when Dante calls Dom “butthole,” but Vin is so focused when he is on set that it was impossible.’
Jason finds himself in one of the most star-studded ensembles in film history, acting alongside Vin Diesel, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Helen Mirren, Tyrese, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, and many, many more.
In a recent interview with Variety, the Aquaman legend discussed his time on our screens, saying that he enjoyed playing the bad guy.
‘I’ve never played a character that’s, what’s the word – he’s evil and quirky and androgynous,’ he teased. ‘He’s very sadistic and fun. It’s very bizarre.’
‘I haven’t played a villain in a very long time.’
Fast X is in cinemas now.
