‘On The Roam’ Interview: Jason Momoa & Brian Andrew Mendoza On Season 2, ‘Chief Of War’ Season 2 & More [Interview]

Jason Momoa does not seem built for stillness. Some people dabble in hobbies. Momoa appears to sprint headfirst into them, learn the craft, befriend the masters, turn it into a road trip, make a documentary about it, and somehow end up playing Metallica with Kirk Hammett a few months later. That is more or less the joyful, chaotic magic of “On the Roam,” which returns for Season 2 on HBO Max on May 14.

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The series follows Momoa as he travels through different pockets of art, craftsmanship, music, motorcycles, and personal obsession, but the show is less travelogue than creative field trip. It is about people who make things, the rituals behind those things, and Momoa’s almost childlike inability to encounter passion without immediately trying to participate in it. Season 2 includes visits with artists, musicians, mechanics, and craftspeople, including a stop with Julian Schnabel that finds Momoa soaking in the painter and filmmaker’s work like a man staring into the sun and refusing to blink. Or an episode featuring Momoa almost single-handedly keeping alt-punk band,”The Bobby Lees,” together and making music.

Momoa and executive producer Brian Andrew Mendoza joined The Playlist for an exclusive interview to discuss the second season, how they decide what parts of Momoa’s real life belong on camera, the show’s celebratory mission, and why the series works best when it lets Momoa’s curiosity lead the way.

For Mendoza, the main rule is simple: the series should uplift the people it captures. And, boy, does it. 

“Our only caveat, is that the series is meant to be celebratory,” Mendoza said. “So if there’s any sort of drama, we don’t show it. Outside of that, it’s totally authentic, totally organic. We turn on the cameras, but as Jason’s jumping out of the car, we shoot it with a very small team. There’s no way to sort of fabricate anything. It’s meant to be cinema verite.”

That approach only works because Momoa has a very specific way of moving through the world. The show is not just watching artisans or creators explain their work. It is watching Momoa react to them, learn from them, and practically fall all over himself with joy.

“We want the journey to be through Jason,” Mendoza said. “He has this energy and a way to connect with the people that we’re capturing. It’s a way for the viewer to go through this and experience somewhat of how we experienced hanging out with Julian Schnabel or being with all these other people, the mechanics and Max. Not anyone can do this. It’s really through his eyes.”

Momoa agreed that the secret is mostly to let the camera keep up. After decades of working with Mendoza and building their production company together, he said “On the Roam” became a new way to tell stories that felt deeply personal.

“I think that’s it. We built a company 25-plus years ago, and we’ve been shooting many different styles. This is a genre we wanted to jump into,” Momoa said. “Being able to shoot something, it’s very scary because it’s my personal life. Even doing press for this is awesome because I’m not hiding behind something, but I’m getting excited because I’m talking about everything I love, the people that I’m learning from, the people that I want to share with the world.”

That idea is also why Momoa sees the series as more than a celebrity travel show. To him, it is a reminder that creativity is everywhere, not just in famous rooms or around famous people.

“The show is designed also to be just inspiring,” Momoa said. “There’s so many people that in your city, in your town, in your state, in your country, everyone has something to offer. Everyone has a passion that you can learn from and you can teach them. Out of all the things we can disagree about, spend more time going like, ‘Hey, I can learn from these.’ That’s just what connects people. Not to get into the hippy-dippy shit of it all, but it’s love and learning and sharing. That’s the human experience.”

Season 2, according to Momoa, was about taking bigger swings. One thread began with his love of rare guitars, particularly the Flying V, and quickly spiraled into the sort of only-in-Momoa chain reaction that could power its own episode, sequel, and possibly small village.

“This season, it was really about upping the ante and just going like, we put out the wildest ideas,” Momoa said. “I wanted to, what’s the biggest guitars you can do? This is Flying V, for example. There’s 19 of those, 81 of those. We’re going to go talk to people. I call Slash and Cesar from Gibson. I’m like, ‘Hey, can I ask Kirk Hammett too?’ So I get Kirk’s number, and I’m all geeking out. I’m freaking out going like, ‘I’m talking to Kirk Hammett!’”

Momoa also gave a quick update on “Chief of War,” his Apple TV+ historical epic, which became one of his most personal and ambitious projects to date. Asked whether the show is any closer to Season 2, Momoa said the issue is not a lack of story.

“Well, it’s definitely not story. There’s no lack of story,” Momoa said. “I think we are just, you know, it was a limited series. That’s what it was. That’s what we agreed to do. We’re excited. Obviously, we’re still going up for some awards, and hopefully it’ll have an effect. I guess we kind of see where it goes after all that. So we’re just a little bit in limbo, just kind of waiting to see what’s next.”

Of course, no conversation with Momoa can fully avoid his growing pile of franchise work. Asked whether he, as shown in the series, continues to bring handmade or personal objects from artists into projects like “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” “Street Fighter,” “Dune: Part Three,” and other upcoming films, Momoa said he tries to do that whenever possible, while also confirming that his upcoming turn in “Street Fighter” as Blanka, will be a motion capture performance.

“I had a necklace made by a couple of artists,” Momoa said. “My costume designer hired her from another show. It kind of helped me with that idea. I added something to Blanka, which then they put in the mo-cap, but something that you want to make personal and we use it as something we can pass down.”

That instinct also extended to Lobo, his long-awaited DC role.

“Lobo, yeah. We did some rings just to help. They obviously made a bunch of stuff,” Momoa said. “But yeah, you try to put as much as you can. I think we definitely did in “The Wrecking Crew” and “Protecting Jared,” which I just did, a little bit.”

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For Momoa, it all folds back into the same mission as “On the Roam”: find artists, amplify their work, and build little creative bridges wherever possible.

“Everyone that I’m trying to make stuff, I definitely try to bring in things from people that I know, or people who are really fantastic, and introduce those to our costume design,” Momoa said. “The more artists you get to meet, they can use in other movies. It’s just hooking up those connections. So I’ll always continue to do that.”

“On the Roam” Season 2 premieres May 14 on HBO Max. Watch the full interview with Jason Momoa and Brian Andrew Mendoza below.

Mike DeAngelo

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Entertainment journalist, podcaster, and host of The Discourse and Bingeworthy podcasts, with bylines at Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and IndieWire.

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