HONOLULU (AP) — Jason Momoa drove a vintage pickup along a winding country road in Hawaii, a tattooed arm dangling out the window and Metallica blasting.

“POO’-ah-LEE’,” he said.

His passenger corrected him, again, modeling the subtle emphasis on the “u” sound: “Puali.”

Momoa was preparing for his role in mountain summit held sacred by some Native Hawaiians. He wound up living with the Hawaiian Hollywood superstar for nearly a year as his personal language coach.

The word they kept working on during the drive can mean “warrior” or “army.” It was one of many to get right.

Like many Native Hawaiians in Hawaii and elsewhere, Momoa didn’t grow up speaking Hawaiian. Most of the other actors in the series also aren’t fluent. They worked with coaches like Kanuha to pronounce the vowel-laden

See Full Page