Jason Momoa wants his 16-year-old son, Nakoa-Wolf Momoa, to create his own path in Hollywood, without getting a leg-up from his famous father.

The Aquaman star recently told Extra that he wasn’t involved in his son landing a role in filmmaker Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune: Part Three.

“A rude awakening is what he’s in for,” Momoa said of Nakoa-Wolf’s casting. “He’s into the workforce for the first time. It’s going to be good. He did it on his own. I don’t want to help him, and he’s done it all on his own, and good for him.”   

The actor added, “You want your children to be better than you, and I really, actually believe he is. I couldn’t do what he’s doing at his age. There’s no way I could sit in a room with Denis Villeneuve and hold my own. I was on Baywatch at 19. He’s 16 and holding shit down with Denis Villeneuve.”

Nakoa-Wolf is reportedly playing Leto II, opposite Ida Brooke’s Ghanima, in the franchise’s third installment. In Frank Herbert’s book, Dune Messiah, Leto II and Ghanima are the twin offspring of Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides and Zendaya’s Chani.

As for Momoa, he previously played Duncan Idaho in 2021’s Dune: Part One and is set to return for the third film after sitting out of Part Two.

The Chief of War actor shares Nakoa-Wolf with his ex-wife, Lisa Bonet, as well as daughter Lola Iolani Momoa.

“We raised him beautiful[ly]. We raised our children … being loved and being confident in themselves. That is what he is,” Momoa added of his son. “He’s very confident.”