There is no denying that Jason Momoa was in his absolute element in Fast X, joining the action franchise as villain Dante, but the actor actually improvised one of his most morbid moments.
In the Fast and Furious sequel, which was released in cinemas today, the 43-year-old stars as the son of Fast Five’s Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), who has a bone to pick with Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew.
One bizarre scene shows him giving an unseen figure a pedicure while enjoying a cocktail with another, before we realize that they are the dead bodies of two henchmen – footage that left some squeamish.
Discussing the divisive moment, director Louis Leterrier explained that it nearly didn’t make the final cut – with Jason improvising a lot to emphasize how messed up his character really was.
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‘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.
Jason Momoa actually improvised that seriously grim Fast X scene (Picture: Getty)
‘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 plays the villain role to pure, campy perfection – and revealed that they often collaborated behind the scenes to get his dialogue 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.”
Jason played the villain to perfection in the action sequel (Picture: Universal)
‘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.’
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In Fast X, Jason found his place in one of the most star-studded casts in movie history, appearing opposite Vin, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Helen Mirren, Tyrese, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson and many, many more.
The Aquaman icon opened up about his time on our screen in a previous chat with Variety, admitting that he relished being the bad guy.
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‘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.’
