--- description: Find out how Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership. title: 2022 TIME100 Next: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1f62f162fee8916/698a35d34ee262cd6031a9fc/time100-next-yahya-abdul-mateen-II.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Sep 28, 2022 # Yahya Abdul-Mateen II by Jason Momoa  Drew Gurian—Invision/AP Drew Gurian—Invision/APDrew Gurian—Invision/AP I fell in love with [Yahya Abdul-­Mateen II](https://time.com/6164772/yahya-abdul-mateen-ii-ambulance-interview/ "undefined") when we met while filming [_Aquaman_](https://time.com/5484894/aquaman-review/ "undefined") in Australia. He was playing the bad guy. It’s extremely challenging to transform your body into playing these superhero characters. The things he did to become [Black Manta](https://time.com/5484268/aquaman-post-credits-scene/ "undefined")—I can’t even do it like that. When I was in the gym working out, I’d listen to a bunch of different music. When Yahya was training, it would just be quiet. He was so focused. It’s wonderful watching him on set, with what he commits to each scene and how much he cares for his craft. We always talk about what our next movie might be. When you decide to make a film with someone, you’re going on a long journey. And I tell him: “Dude, if you see a role where I get to support you in something, let me know.” He is an absolutely beautiful man, inside and out. _Momoa is an actor_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213725/yahya-abdul-mateen-ii-artists/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213725/yahya-abdul-mateen-ii-artists/"},"headline":"Yahya Abdul-Mateen II","datePublished":"2022-09-28T09:54:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:06:16.543Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213725/yahya-abdul-mateen-ii-artists/","keywords":["TIME 100 Next"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1f62f162fee8916/698a35d34ee262cd6031a9fc/time100-next-yahya-abdul-mateen-II.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1f62f162fee8916/698a35d34ee262cd6031a9fc/time100-next-yahya-abdul-mateen-II.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213725/yahya-abdul-mateen-ii-artists/","name":"Yahya Abdul-Mateen II"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME100 Next: See Every Honoree","description":"See every 2022 TIME100 Next honoree in under two minutes.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/i4LJ3fau/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2022-09-28T10:00:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/i4LJ3fau.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213725/yahya-abdul-mateen-ii-artists/","duration":"PT1M59S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213725/yahya-abdul-mateen-ii-artists/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```