The Venice Film Festival usually makes headlines every year for a variety of reasons. There's the fashion, the boat entrances, and (of course) the comically long standing ovations that occur at premieres. Last night also treated fans to a funny viral moment: Jason Momoa slapping Oscar Isaac's butt. And I can't get over just how loud the drive-by spanking was.
While these two A-listers worked together on Dune (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription), they're once again sharing the screen in Julian Schnabel's drama In the Hand of Dante. It's world premiere happened last night in Venice, and a clip on Twitter is making the rounds of Momoa (loudly) slapping his ass on the press line. Check it out below:
Lmaoo not Jason momoa slapping daddy Oscar’s asss in the red carpet 😭😭 the sound it made when he slapped it 😭 pic.twitter.com/CkfsdwMKbnSeptember 4, 2025
Now that's a serious love tap. Rather than a sneaky slap as he walked past Isaac, Jason Momoa wound up and gave him a serous spank. On top of how loud this was, the Star Wars icon can be shown saying "ow!" in response. I have to assume that he kept feeling that as he continued fans and doing signings while at the premiere.
Clearly there's a ton of love between these two actors, who helped lead the Dune cast list. While Leto Atreides and Duncan Idaho were close in Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic, I have to wonder how their characters will feel about each other during In the Hand of Dante. The make up only two parts of a cast full of stars, including Gerard Butler, Gal Gadot, John Malkovich, Al Pacino, and Martin Scorsese.
True to the festival, In the Hand of Dante received a whopping 9 and a half minutes of applause following its Venice premiere. You can see a clip pf that ovation below, courtesy of Variety:
Oscar Isaac beams as "In the Hand of Dante" earns an 8-minute standing ovation at the #VeniceFilmFestivalhttps://t.co/mQzcjHS1VR pic.twitter.com/MeKtxK9uSASeptember 3, 2025
Aside from his talents and general badassery, Jason Momoa is known for his gregarious personality. Whether Momoa is going viral for dancing or rocking a Hawaiian malo on late night shows, the 46 year-old actor has a habit of being unapologetically himself and charming fans in the process. So him (loudly) slapping Oscar Isaac's butt at the Venice Film Festival is very on brand.
I have to assume that filming a project like Dune is uniquely bonding for the cast and crew. Villeneuve filmed the planet of Arrakis in Jordan and Abu Dhabi, and those unique desert settings are unlike most filming conditions. Both Isaac and Momoa were already experienced with genre work, which might be why it was so easy for them to connect. While Momoa will reprise his role in Dune 3, it doesn't seem that Isaac will follow suit. Luckily they got to film and now promote their new movie together.
It's currently unclear when In the Hand of Dante will get its wide theatrical release, either on the 2025 movie release list or beyond. Hopefully these two actors can do interviews together and create more viral moments in the process.
