Did Jason Momoa learn Hawaiian for Chief of War? Here’s what the actor revealed

Chief of War is one of the rare historical dramas shows that delves into the history of Hawaii. Created by Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, the show premiered on August 1, 2025 and has received rave reviews for exploring the hitherto unknown history of the beautiful island.

The show is based on true events and is set around the end of the 18th century when the four major kingdoms of the Hawaiian Islands were warring with each other. These islands are Hawai’i, Maui, O’ahu, and Kaua’i. Chief of War focuses on Ka’iana, who is the warrior chief of Kaua’I and must travel outside the islands and return home to join a war. However, he rebels against the unification of Hawai’I that occurred from 1782 to 1810 under Kamehameha I.

Creators Momoa and Sibbett sat down for an interview with The Wrap and mentioned that Chief of War was special as it was an ode to their cultural roots, and they wanted it to be authentic. They even discuss the language issues they faced while filming the show.

Jason Momoa on learning Hawaiian for Chief of War and more details

Momoa mentions in the interview that, “You have to understand, this is not just us working our day job…this is our heritage. I’m not playing a fictitious character or a superhero. These are my ancestors.” Therefore, Chief of War is a deeply authentic and personal experience for the actor and creator of the series.

Sibbett and Momoa therefore decided that most of the show’s dialogue would be spoken in the characters’ native Hawaiian language. Momoa mentions that “it was terrifying…maybe 20% of the cast is fluent in the language, the rest is not…and Maori is not the same as Tahitian or Samoan. They are all separate…and even the way those cultures fight and express themselves is completely different.”

On the process of learning new languages, Momoa agrees that it was a task. Even though the actor has worked in projects like Game of Thrones and Dune, but even he was surprised by the level of dedication that was required. He states to The Wrap that “I’ve done a bunch of different languages and played different cultures. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” Momoa mentions that he thought, as a Hawaiian, it would be easy for him, but “It is the hardest language I’ve ever learned” is what the actor stated.

The actor even states that even on the sets of Chief of War, “we were not allowed to move on until one of the [dialect supervisors] said we could move on.” Further, the actor mentions that he was held to a high standard as he could not just mumble in Hawaiian and get by.

Creators of Chief of War on choosing the character of Ka’iana instead of Kamehameha I for Momoa

Interestingly, even though the show is about the unification of the islands and that was undertaken by the conqueror Kamehameha I (played by Kaina Makua), the show grounds itself from the perspective of the warrior chief Ka’iana (played by Momoa).

Sibbett and Momoa agree that when they were developing the show, they felt more drawn to Ka’iana, who was also an important historical figure and was a world traveler. “He witnessed slavery, colonization…he is a character you can give flaws to…we didn’t feel comfortable doing that with…Kamehameha”, Sibbett observed. Even Momoa mentions in the same interview that he never wanted to play such an important character as Kamehameha, “I just don’t think I have that in me” he states.

Ultimately, the show does its best to showcase the culture of the islands in the most authentic way possible.

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Chief of War is available on Apple TV+.

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