Jason Momoa's Chief of War crew 'blessed' by volcano erupting for first time in decades

Te Kohe Tuhaka, star of Chief of War, has shared a remarkable moment of natural beauty that occurred during the filming of Apple TV+'s highly praised new historical drama.

The series, which stars, is co-written and executive produced by Jason Momoa, sees the Game of Thrones actor take on the role of real-life Hawaiian warrior Ka'iana during the turbulent turn of the 19th Century.

The show delves into Pacific Island history in an unprecedented way, featuring a predominantly Polynesian cast who shot most of their scenes in New Zealand.

However, some key moments were filmed in Hawaii itself, including an ambitious sequence set against the backdrop of Kalapana's lava fields.

In an extraordinary coincidence, the Mauna Loa volcano erupted for the first time in three decades while filming was ongoing, and ceased just as the cast wrapped up their final scenes, reports the Express.

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Momoa described the awe-inspiring moment in an interview with Entertainment Weekly: "You can't write that s***.

"You're obviously stirring up a lot of spirits and mana. It was unbelievable, but there was a really positive energy."

Express Online recently had the opportunity to speak with Momoa's co-star Tuhaka, who plays Ka'iana's brother Namakeʻ, about the ambitious production of Chief of War.

"We arrived, our first day of the shoot, the volcano goes off," the New Zealand actor remembered.

"And then, when we wrapped, as soon as our last day there, wrap was called, boom. It stopped.

"It was intense and beautiful at the same time, and pretty overwhelming. Especially when we were setting up shots with lots of warriors and extras going on, fight extras."

Teasing that viewers will witness the spectacle themselves during the episode, he continued: "You can see the glow from the volcano.

"It was a beautiful thing to be a part of, and culturally I was just like, 'Whoa, that is a sign'."

Momoa, Tuhaka and the programme's entire cast all appeared to interpret the unexpected eruption as a positive omen that Chief of War is honouring Hawaii's rich history and culture properly.

"Because of the way I love my culture I read into those things quite a lot," Tuhaka reveals.

"Personally, from my perspective, I went, 'Oh, that is a beautiful sign, a beautiful Hawaiian sign that this is something that is waking up the land in some way'."

Regarding the actual content of the scene, the actor is remaining tight-lipped about spoilers.

Nevertheless, he did reveal there'll be an exciting action sequence in the series finale that's absolutely worth waiting for.

"Without giving too much away, there is a scene in [episode] nine... that's all I can really say to it," he hinted.

"But it was physically demanding, it required an intense focus which I haven't had to lean into before and it caps everything off really, really nicely. Ep nine, epic scene. So, keep watching."

Chief of War continues Fridays on Apple TV+.