Dune star Jason Momoa revealed that he hid a message to his son within Denis Villeneuve’s big-budget sci-fi epic. Based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name, Dune follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his noble family in the far future. When Paul’s father, Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac), is ordered to take stewardship of the harsh land of Arrakis, House Atreides finds itself on the brink of war to claim to claim the desert planet, which is home to the world’s most valuable resource.

Villeneuve’s film features a star-studded cast. In addition to Chalamet and Isaac, Dune stars Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, and Javier Bardem. Of the impressive roster of actors, Momoa has been one of the most vocal about his love of the project, even going so far as to wish for a four- to six-hour cut of Dune (for the record, the runtime is already a hefty two hours and 35 minutes). Momoa plays Duncan Idaho, swordmaster to House Atreides, Paul’s combat trainer, and Duke Leto’s trusted right-hand man. For the role, Momoa and Chalamet spent a lot of time together training and creating a sense of chemistry between the characters.

Related: Dune: How Space Travel Works & Why Spice Is Important

Now, Momoa has confirmed to Indiewire that during one of his scenes with Chalamet, the actor snuck in a secret message to his son, Nakoa Wolf. In preparation for Dune’s lengthy battle scenes, the actors underwent a training regimen that included a number of martial arts techniques. One such technique was Kali, the national martial art of the Philippines. “I never really learned that,” the action star admits, but his 12-year-old son practices the style of combat. Momoa inserted some Kali movements to signal to his son, including one “where you put your hand on your heart and put it on your head.” Though it appears that Idaho is making the gesture to Paul in the film, Momoa included the moment as a personal Easter egg for his family. Read more on Momoa’s secret Kali message below.

“We had to fight numerous people, so a lot of training went into that last battle scene…We did a bunch of stuff like Kali,” which is a martial arts technique native to the Philippines. “I never really learned that. My son does that. There’s definitely these intimate moments where I’m signaling to my son. That’s a Kali move, where you put your hand on your heart and put it on your head. That’s to Timothée in the movie, but that’s to my son in real life.”

Dunca assuming a defensive position in Dune

Given Momoa’s extensive resume of physical roles, it should come as no surprise that his secret message of choice was expressed via martial arts. The Dune actor first learned martial arts for his role as Ronon in Stargate Atlantis. He would later go on to portray fierce fighters in both Game of Thrones and Aquaman. Still, Momoa's training for Dune was extensive, with the actor learning swordplay and wrestling moves, as well as Kali. The action star didn’t step away from all this physical work unscathed, however. In one moment on set, Momoa took a knee to the groin from Chalamet.

Momoa has expressed reluctance in allowing his kids to watch some of his early work, including Baywatch: Hawaii, Conan the Barbarian, and Game of Thrones. It’s an understandable parenting choice, given the explicit nature of those projects. But with this latest anecdote from the Dune set, it would appear that Momoa’s children have the green light to see much-anticipated sci-fi film. Momoa has also given the go-ahead on his superhero films, including Aquaman and Justice League, which the star clearly deems appropriate for family viewing. The forthcoming Aquaman sequel is also in the works, with a release date set for December 2022, so Momoa will be returning to the screen in some impressive actions sequences soon. In the meantime, the Momoa family can finally watch Dune in theaters.

More: Every Upcoming Jason Momoa Movie

Source: Indiewire

Key Release Dates