Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve has gathered one of the most ambitious casts seen in modern Hollywood for his big-screen adaptation of the sci-fi classic novel Dune. Jason Momoa joins the movie in the role of Duncan Idaho, a heroic figure who acts as a mentor for the protagonist Paul Atreides. In an interview with Men's Health, Momoa revealed how overwhelming it was to be a part of such an eclectic cast, particularly Oscar-winner Javier Bardem. One scene in particular almost had Momoa crying from happiness.

"We were sitting at this table, and the scene is all about Javier walking into the room. I've never seen someone strut into a room like such a boss. He just comes right up to this table and stares everybody down. He's glaring at everyone else but giving me a little bit of a twinkle, and I'm just giggling inside because I can't believe I'm at this table right now. So then he delivers his lines and just kills it. And right after that, Denis goes up to him and starts giving him notes. I'm shocked, like, What the hell could you possibly be giving him notes on? So I'm standing there absolutely terrified because I had to deliver all this sci-fi exposition, which is not my bag at all. And then I did it and I did not get any notes at all. I was so unbelievably happy I could have cried."

It seems Jason Momoa was acutely aware of the prestigious nature of the film that he was a part of, and what it meant as an actor to have gained the approval of a true auteur like Villeneuve. The feeling of admiration appears to be mutual, as the filmmaker stated that casting Momoa in the role of the titanic warrior Idaho was a "no-brainer".

"Duncan Idaho is a true heroic knight figure, a proud, courageous, righteous, and ruthless man, famous for his unmatchable fighting skills. He's also a bit of a bohemian. I thought that Jason would be perfect to embody him. Like Duncan Idaho, Jason has an insane charisma that makes people gravitate around him. Jason is a force of nature. He's bigger than life."

Directed by Denis Villeneuve from a script he co-wrote with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts, Dune features a lead cast consisting of Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Chang Chen as Dr. Wellington Yueh, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Dr. Liet Kynes, Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, Dave Bautista Glossu Rabban, David Dastmalchian as Piter De Vries, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Stephen Henderson as Thufir Hawat and Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck.

The film tells the story of a distant civilization scattered across the galaxy, and the battle over a precious substance known as the "spice melange" that kicks off a fierce war. Dune arrives in theaters October 1, 2021. This story originated at Mens Health.