--- title: Game of Thrones: Watch Jason Momoa's Audition for Khal Drogo description: The clip has been on YouTube since 2012, but it's worth watching if you want to see how the little-known actor scored his breakout role canonical: https://time.com/3516894/game-of-thrones-jason-momoa-audition-tape/ author: Eric Dodds article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-17T16:12:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:48:22.357Z og:title: Watch 'Game of Thrones' Star Jason Momoa's Intense Audition Tape og:description: He performed the Maori haka dance to win the role of Khal Drogo og:url: https://time.com/3516894/game-of-thrones-jason-momoa-audition-tape/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch 'Game of Thrones' Star Jason Momoa's Intense Audition Tape twitter:description: He performed the Maori haka dance to win the role of Khal Drogo twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Watch _Game of Thrones_ Star Jason Momoa's Intense Audition Tape > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Oct 17, 2014 4:12 PM UTC by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Oct 17, 2014 4:12 PM UTC Despite lasting just one season on _Game of Thrones_, Khal Drogo remains one of the show’s most memorable characters — thanks in large part to Jason Momoa’s indelible portrayal of the Dothraki lord. In this [YouTube clip from 2012](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dE786RERGE), we see that the actor landed his breakout role performing the [haka](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI851yJUQQw), a traditional dance associated with New Zealand’s Maori people, during his audition. Though [the haka has a legacy](http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/8732248/Jason-Momoa-Once-was-warrior) entirely unrelated to _Game of Thrones_ (obviously), its intensity — and Momoa’s fervent, wild-haired rendition of it — helps reveal why the actor was so well-suited for the part of Khal Drogo. And it was that short-lived role that has launched the 35-year-old actor to greater stardom. Momoa has recently been [cast as Aquaman](http://time.com/2888577/got-star-jason-momoa-to-play-aquaman-may-get-punched-in-the-face/) and is slated to appear in a number of DC Comics’ upcoming films. Plus, with the recent announcement that[ there will be flashbacks in the upcoming season](http://time.com/3513914/game-of-thrones-flashback/) of _Game of Thrones_, there’s always a slight chance we could see Khal Drogo once again. Let’s just hope he’s slightly less terrifying than he is in that audition tape, because seriously — you do not want to turn the volume up too loud for that one. _Read next:_ [_HBO Will Finally Start Selling Web-Only Subscriptions Next Year_](http://time.com/3510262/hbo-web-streaming/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ### See The Real-Life People Who Inspired Game of Thrones Characters  From left: Cersei and Margaret of Anjou HBO; Getty Images  From Left: Khaleesi and Queen Elizabeth I. HBO; Getty Images  From Left: Melisandre and Bloody Mary Helen Sloan—HBO; Getty Images  From left: Talisa Stark and Anne Boleyn. Helen Sloan—HBO; Getty Images  From left: Brienne of Tarth and Joan of Arc. HBO; DeAgostini—Getty Images  From left: Henry VIII and Robert Baratheon. HBO; Getty Images  From left: Joffrey and Caligula. 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