Actor Jason Momoa has sharply criticized his 2011 film, Conan the Barbarian, which he worked on with director Marcus Nispel.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Nispel spoke out about his struggles while directing the film.
“As a filmmaker in this system, you are a dog on many leashes. Trying to get Conan done under those circumstances was the worst experience that I had, and I was as unhappy with the result,” Nispel told the outlet. “I am happy though that none of this got in the way of Jason’s career path…I always stood by the decision to make Conan with him.”
Nispel continued, on a lighter note, that he was happy to give Momoa his first lead role in an action-adventure film.
“My friend John Milius once said: ‘There is always a sense of defeat in every victory.’ In regards to having had the pleasure and privilege of having given Jason his first leading part, I say: ‘There can also be a sense of victory in a defeat,’ ” added Nispel.
Nispel ended his statement with a joke: “By the way – the muscles that Jason flexed for Game of Thrones. I paid for those.”
In a recent interview with British GQ, Momoa opened up about his disappointment with Conan the Barbarian.
“I’ve been a part of a lot of things that really sucked, and movies where it’s out of your hands. Conan was one of them. It’s one of the best experiences I had and it [was] taken over and turned into a big pile of s—.”
He went on to explain that he is striving to break the hyper-masculine role he often plays in movies.
“It’s been hard because people always think I’m just this dude who plays [macho characters]. But I want to be moved, I want something new. Things are changing, and even the villain roles I’m playing now are eccentric,” he stated.
Momoa is set to star in the upcoming sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and the upcoming Fast and Furious movie, Fast X.
