Jason Momoa claiming he was broke and 'starving' after Game of Thrones sparks debate about fame

The creative industries are going through a very tough time right now.

Projects are stalled, theatres are shut and many people – including freelancers –⁠ are out of work.

But Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa has revealed that, even before coronavirus changed the world, things were far from easy as an emerging actor.

Momoa said he struggled to find work after starring on one season of the HBO show. Things got so bad that his family was “starving” and “in debt”.

The actor, who now portrays Aquaman, toldInStyle:

I mean, we were starving after Game of Thrones.

I couldn’t get work. It’s very challenging when you have babies and you’re completely in debt.

Momoa played Khal Drogo during the first season of Game of Thrones, but he was killed off before season 2. Back then, the HBO show wasn’t nearly the hit it ended up to be (with the huge reported per episode rates for its stars).

Momoa said after the show he went through a professional dry spell where it was difficult to get work.

He has since starred in the 2017 film Justice League and 2018's Aquaman.

But it’s still prompted a debate about how, away from the glamour of red carpets and photo shoots, making it as a struggling actor is tough.

Just because someone is on TV, it doesn’t mean they’re rich.

But other fans thought it seemed insensitive to compare Momoa’s struggles to people working in normal jobs.

One fan wrote on Twitter: “Try being a normal person,” and another said it was “insulting” of him to say he was starving when so many unemployed people across the US are starving right now.

But who is to judge what Momoa's circumstances were?

As one fan wrote:

Actors are like the rest of us. They don’t get work they can’t eat.

And isn't that the truth. Momoa won't be the first creative person to struggle financially, and he certainly won't be the last.

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