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Jason Momoa reached out to the Harley-Davidson CEO to secure motorcycles for his 'Fast X' villain
When your star is a motorcycle fiend in real life, you've gotta incorporate that into his character.
When you're making a movie about sexy, fast-paced vehicles and one of the cast members has it in with Harley-Davidson, how are you not going to exploit that to the film's benefit? It's exactly what Jason Momoa did after boarding Fast X (driving into theaters everywhere next month) as the blockbuster's central antagonist, Dante Reyes.
"The first thing I asked was, 'What bike do I get to ride?" Momoa — who is a massive motorcycle fiend in real life — recalled during an interview with Total Film (the magazine's April 2023 issue is now on sale). "Generally, it's a Bugatti or a Triumph or some kind of smaller performance bike for doing tricks on. I was like, 'Hell no. I want to ride a Harley!' I called Harley instantly, called the CEO, and was like, 'Bro, can you help me?' So they sent up like six bikes. I totally got hooked up. They let me build it for my character."
The son of Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) — the South American drug kingpin from whom Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian (the late Paul Walker) stole a vault full of cash during the climax of Fast Five — Dante is fueled by a white-hot desire for revenge against the Toretto crew. He's studied their movements for years and is ready to enact a plan meant to tear the sacred family apart.
Momoa described the villain as an individual of "true evil," who gets up to "some pretty sadistic stuff that I had fun doing." To underscore Dante's dark side, the actor insisted on wearing special contact lenses that gave his eyes the deadened look of a hungry shark. "There was nothing holding me back," he declared. At first glance, however, Reyes Jr. has an almost disarming aura that allows him to attract innocent prey like another feared predator of the deep: the anglerfish.
"I didn't want it to turn into another macho, testosterone showdown kind of thing," Momoa explained. "I wanted to make him look inviting and easy-going, to have a softer side. That's why he wears pastels. He's a little androgynous. He's been really, really hurt, so he's a dangerous person. But his external vibes... I want you to be intrigued by Dante Reyes, and when you get close, he has you."
Fast X zooms onto the big screen Friday, May 19. Tickets are on sale now!
Relive a portion of the Fast Saga with The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Furious 7 — both of which are streaming now on Peacock.
