Jason Momoa Says Watching 'Slumberland' with His Kids 'Blew Me Away' — See the Exclusive First Look

Jason Momoa let his inner child out for his latest role.

In PEOPLE's exclusive first look at Netflix's Slumberland, the action star, 43, shows off his range in the often comedic role of an eccentric outlaw named Flip, who helps young Nemo (Marlow Barkley) navigate the dream world to be reunited with her late father.

"I've got to tell you, to play in this role really unlocked a lot of things for me," he says. "I actually got to watch it with my children yesterday and with Marlow and her family. It's weird when you tear up watching your own stuff."

"It blew me away, and I just was so emotional. This role just let me really be free, and the character is so fun," Momoa adds.

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For the fantasy adventure film, which is based on the turn-of-the-century comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland, Momoa looked to the Artful Dodger from Charles Dickens' literary classic Oliver Twist for inspiration in playing Flip.

He also explains how he keeps in touch with his own inner child, which Flip represents in the movie.

"I became an actor. I can't get out of it. I'm trying to be adult as possible. But the truth of it is, I just love to play, and it's fun to be creative and use your imagination," Momoa says, adding, "My kids keep me young, and doing the things you love to do, just playing."

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Momoa notes that he had "a great bond and trust" with director Francis Lawrence, who also helmed the first three episodes of his Apple TV+ series See. The rapport with "someone that trusts you, kind of knows your personality and lets you fall and make mistakes, but keep trying" allowed him to experiment with his performance.

"And normally, directors, they kind of pull you in, they reel you in. And [Lawrence] just kept encouraging more and more and wilder and wilder. I just felt really free," says Momoa.

Alan Markfield/Netflix

Lawrence, 51, adds: "Working with Jason on See, I saw characteristics in his personality that I knew would work really well with Flip. So it was fun to do something completely different for the both of us that also allowed us to stretch our creative muscles in new ways."

See Jason Momoa in Slumberland, premiering Nov. 18 on Netflix.