If you’ve been following Jason Momoa for long, you’re definitely curious about the scar on his brow.

He didn’t have it when he was younger and doing shows like Baywatch Hawaii and North Shore on television. But his left brow had a significant gash in it by the time he was starring in programs like Frontier and Game of Thrones.

Fans who discovered Momoa later in his career might believe he’s always had that sliced brow, but this isn’t true. Something bad happened and changed his looks and career forever.

Jason Momoa before and after getting the scar.
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The story is far more interesting than some bungled action stunt. It wasn’t an accident while surfing or doing the Haka in the wrong place at the wrong time. Momoa told Access Hollywood in 2011 that it was more hazardous than that.

Momoa describes the incident that resulted in the scar as “crazy.”

“A guy smashed a pint glass in my face. I got a little over 140 stitches in my face.”

On the plus side, he noted, it helped him “get those mean roles.”

Dominic Bando (the man who hit Momoa) first pleaded not guilty to charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, but was eventually sentenced to five years in jail, according to Men’s Health.

Bando also suffered four hand injuries that required 15 stitches before serving jail time.

In an Access Hollywood interview, Jason remarked of the permanent scar, “It just doesn’t grow there anymore. I got my wife beforehand, so… if she doesn’t like it, too bad. She likes it.”

Jason Momoa struggled to return to normal life: “All my life, people called me handsome. From this moment, that all came to an end.” The story may have ended badly, but owing to his incredible mental power, the actor was able to recuperate completely.

In a 2011 interview with The New York Post, Jason Momoa revealed more about his scar:

Momoa told the magazine, “I got called ‘pretty boy’ my whole life. If anything, it’s like, ‘Good’. It’s not my thing now.” We understand why manly Momoa was upset over the feminine title. Do you think the same young buck from Baywatch could be a Dothraki warrior? Even if the barbaric warriors were drowning, I doubt they’d want to witness a skinny, hairless teen idol racing towards them in slow motion to save them.

Even though Momoa isn’t exactly “proud” of his pre-scar acting skills in “Baywatch: Hawaii,” it still seems like a stretch to give the scar too much credit, according to Entertainment Weekly. Few actors could fake their way into a first audition (via Square Mile), struggle to get work for years following their debut, and then climb to prominence playing famous roles – scars or no scars.