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Movies & TV

20th Nov 2020

“Pizza, steak… I mean I pretty much consumed anything.” Jason Momoa on his Khal Drogo Game of Thrones diet

Alex Roberts

An unconventional diet, to say the least.

Jason Momoa says he ate pizza every day in order to get in shape for the role of Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones.

Despite his size, this may come as a surprise when you consider just how lean Momoa is for a man of his stature.

The Hawaiian actor is renowned for sporting one of the most muscular frames in Hollywood, but his portrayal of Khal Drogo was marked by low levels of body fat, too.

Why then, did Jason Momoa’s Game of Thrones diet revolve almost exclusively around pizza? Speaking to Men’s Health, the Aquaman star explained why.

In response to a question asking what he ate to play Khal Drogo, Momoa said:

“I sh*t you not – pizza, steak… I mean I pretty much consumed anything.

“Small animals, still moving… no, I’m joking”.

The rationale behind this particular diet may raise an eyebrow or two.

Bizarrely, the 41-year-old said that he was initially considered too small to play Drogo. He said he had to put on a serious amount of weight to accurately portray his GoT character.

What better way to pile on the pounds than, umm… lots of pizza.

“Khal Drogo just had to put weight on. I was very small so I just had to eat, eat, eat all the time”.

It might not be for everyone, and a dietitian wouldn’t recommend it. But if it worked for Jason Momoa, who is going to tell him otherwise?

Of course, diet wasn’t the only weapon in Momoa’s arsenal. Training is always essential when it comes to bulking up. Otherwise, that pizza is only going to get stored as fat.

Momoa is a big proponent of bodyweight training – in particular, climbing and bouldering.

Another fan asked him to explain if it was harder to hold his bodyweight as a bigger guy involved in bouldering.

He replied: “It’s extremely hard to climb as a big guy, but I’ve had this passion my whole life. I love climbing”.

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