Jason Momoa has once again reaffirmed his love for New Zealand after he filmed much of the new action comedy The Wrecking Crew in Auckland with Dave Bautista.
In The Wrecking Crew, Momoa and Bautista are estranged half-brothers forced to reunite after their father’s mysterious death, uncovering family secrets along the way.
While the story is set in Hawaii, much of The Wrecking Crew was filmed in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, with the city a replacement for Honolulu across large-scale action scenes, car chases and stunt sequences.
Speaking exclusively to 1News, Momoa said New Zealand now feels special.
“That’s home to me,” he said. “I’m planning on being there the rest of my life. I’m just trying to bring as many movies in as possible until you guys let me stay there.”
Bautista, who spent several months in New Zealand during the shoot, said the location made a real difference to the experience of filming.
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“Filming can be stressful. Long days, a lot of pressure,” he said. “To have the luxury of being somewhere so chill on your days off was amazing. There’s also an energy from the crew here - that island attitude. Spending months there, I really fell in love with it too.”
The production of the film has brought significant economic benefits to Auckland, and employed more than 1400 local cast and crew while delivering flow-on effects for hospitality, accommodation, retail and construction businesses from across the area.
Filming took place across the region, from rugged west coast beaches to city streets, with familiar locations transformed into cinematic backdrops for international audiences.
Both stars also praised the depth of New Zealand talent involved in the production, including Temuera Morrison, Frankie Adams and Roimata Fox.
Bautista described Morrison as a personal inspiration.
“He gave me advice early on in my career that I still use to this day,” he said. “He’s got a special place in my heart. He’s just a really good dude.”
Momoa said working alongside Kiwi actors was a highlight of the film.
“If Temuera could be in every movie, amazing,” he said. “Frankie just killed it. Roimata - I saw her work and hired her instantly. These are my people.”
On screen, Momoa and Bautista play brothers with a fractured relationship, which was a dynamic both said came easily.
“We don’t have any animosity at all,” Momoa said. “There’s mutual respect. We’re both artists. People put us in a box because of our size, but we’re passionate about what we do.”
Bautista added the contrast between them is what makes it work.
“Jason feels like a huge little brother to me,” he said. “We’ve got different energies, and that’s why it works.”
With The Wrecking Crew now globally released on Prime Video as of January 28, Momoa joked that New Zealand audiences might see more of the duo in the future.
“We’ve got two and three to come up, right?” he laughed.
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