Jason Momoa: On finding closure with Baba Voss in Apple TV’s ‘See’

How would it feel to live in a world where you cannot see? Apple TV Plus’ See is set in one such post-apocalyptic world, hundreds of years after humankind has lost the ability to see. Aquaman actor Jason Momoa plays Baba Voss, the chief of a tribe called Alkenny. When word spreads that Baba’s adopted children might have the ability to see, the father goes to unforeseen levels to protect his family. The show premiered in 2019, with the first episode of the third and final season releasing last week on August 26.

Lead actor Momoa, while speaking about the series, said that the show is the biggest highlight of his career. “Yes, I have worked on some special franchises and it’s unbelievable that I got to play Duncan Idaho in Dune, but the emotional roller-coaster I’ve been on for the last three seasons of this show is something else. It’s the ‘funnest’ and the hardest experience,” said Momoa adding that See helped him grow in his personal life apart from adding depth to him as an actor. “To train and play a visually-impaired character comes with a lot of respect and responsibility. This is the most weight I have had on me for any character.”

Training without the ability to see is no mean feat and Momoa’s experience while training for See was like no other, said the actor. “I started to appreciate all our senses deeply. The more we trained without using vision, the better it was for me, because an ultimate warrior uses all the senses, to be like an animal.”

Momoa is not new to sci-fi/fantasy, having been a part of titles like Game of Thrones, Stargate Atlantis, and Dune. But nothing compares to See, he said. “Even the way they capture it, cinematically, is unique. From the way the show looks and is set up, to how you have to navigate through this world, everything is different. Even if you just break it down to the action — I can’t make eye contact when I’m swinging a sword at someone. So it’s very challenging to fight and not look at someone knowing you can see, and you don’t want to hurt your stuntmen or actors. As far as my career goes, this is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done.”

Finding closure for a character is important, and Momoa seems to have found it with Baba Voss. “I’ve got to play different types of characters, but I never really got to truly go through the full gamut. Sometimes, they just don’t get an ending right. But Baba Voss gave closure to characters like Drogo ( Game of Thrones) and Declan Harp ( Frontier). I got a beautiful arc here.”

But working for the series also had its own set of drawbacks for the actor. Momoa suffered quite a few injuries on set, and the tight schedules didn’t help either. “We shot continuously, so I messed up my shoulder and ended up getting a hernia. So this new season is probably me at my worst!” (laughs)

Season three of See was shot during the pandemic, and what was going on in his personal life was something akin to what was happening with Baba, says Momoa. “I was living it and hurting as much as he was, and have since healed. The training was more like surviving and recovering and making sure that I could finish because I had to go to Aquaman immediately after season three. So it was season two of See, Slumberland, and then season three all back to back!”

The third season of Apple’s See also stars Sylvia Hoeks, Hera Hilmar, Christian Camargo, Archie Madekwe, Nesta Cooper, Tom Mison, Olivia Cheng, Eden Epstein, Michael Raymond-James, David Hewlett and Trieste Kelly Dunn. The series is streaming on Apple TV Plus.