"I feel like this whole thing has chosen me in a way," the star tells PEOPLE

Apple TV+; Mario Perez/Pearson All-American Television/Courtesy Everett Collection Jason Momoa in Chief of War and in Baywatch: Hawaii

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Jason Momoa opens up to PEOPLE about getting to premiere his new series Chief of War in his native Hawaii, 27 years after he made his debut at 19 in Baywatch: Hawaii
Momoa reveals the sign that recently reaffirmed to him that Chief of War is what he was meant to be doing
Momoa discusses his hopes for a season 2 of the historical drama

As he sits down to talk about his new Apple TV+ historical drama Chief of War at The Four Seasons Oahu in Hawaii, Jason Momoa is not far from where he was born — and two miles from where he’d spend summers with his father, Joseph, while visiting from Iowa, where he was raised by his mother, Coni.

His own kids, Lola, 18, and Nakoa-Wolf, 16, whom he shares with ex-wife Lisa Bonet, are out on the ocean nearby, canoeing with his dad. And so the show, which tells the epic history of the Hawaiian islands at the turn of the 18th century, is deeply personal to the Game of Thrones and Aquaman star, 46.

"I don't think there's anything bigger that I've ever experienced," Momoa tells PEOPLE. "It’s beyond pinch me — it’s punch me in the face!”

To Momoa, getting to premiere Chief of War in Hawaii on July 18 — 27 years after he made his debut at 19 in Baywatch: Hawaii — feels like the hand of fate.

"I feel like this whole thing has chosen me in a way, like this is my destiny," he says. "I have no idea how I got to all this, but we're here, and I'm very grateful. I'm living my dream doing what I love to do. To play my ancestors is such a responsibility. It’s scary and exciting."

On the morning of the premiere, Momoa even got a sign that reaffirmed to him that this show is what he was meant to be doing.

"My dad is a coach at an outrigger canoe club, which is where I learned how to surf," he says. "Just this morning, the sand pulled back and revealed massive petroglyphs [ancient sandstone carvings] right in the place where I grew up. It’s kind of insane. I’ve never experienced that before."

Momoa's co-creator Thomas Pa'a Sibbett says signs happened all throughout filming in Hawaii and Aotearoa New Zealand.

"There's an energy behind this," Sibbett says. "I would like to believe that that energy shift belongs to all of us. I mean, the truth is, the story is about the clashing of cultures, and what that brings, good and bad. Can we learn from these stories? Can we start a dialogue to try to understand each other a little bit better? That's what this is about."

Apple TV+ Jason Momoa in 'Chief of War'

As to what his younger self would think of Chief of War, Momoa says "I think we made it for young Jason and young Pa'a."

"When I’d think of The Last of the Mohicans or Dances With Wolves, those are things that you identify with being Native," he says. "I’d always go, 'Wow, that’d be cool one day to have something like that.' We all grew up with these stories, but it was a matter of needing to wait until our careers got to a point where we could have a little more control."

Apple TV+ Jason Momoa with Te Kohe Tuhaka and Siua Ikale'o in 'Chief of War'

Speaking of control, Momoa not only starred in and executive produced the series, he also directed the finale episode — and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"I mean, I really feel like I’m born for that," Momoa says of getting to wear many hats. "I kind of thrive in chaos. If I’m just acting, you’ll also catch me playing music... I enjoy having many things happening, and I love being responsible for making the choices and having the vision. There’s actually a bit of a calm within all that, because I’m just where I’m supposed to be."

A big heavy metal fan, Momoa got to host Black Sabbath's farewell show in England on July 5. (Momoa spoke with PEOPLE prior to lead singer Ozzy Osbourne's death on July 22.)

"To be at Sabbath, that’s another 13-year-old Jason moment, going like, 'Wow,'" he says. "Getting to hang out with all my music rock gods and different friends was just pinch-me. I’m not going to lie to you — July has been like bang, bang, bang, bang. July has been amazing."

The only thing that could top this month for Momoa is Chief of War getting picked up for a second season.

"The good news is it picks up exactly where we left off," he says. "We want it to just continue right through when you watch. So, we just got to have people watch it and support it and hopefully we can go make more."

Chief of War premieres with two episodes on Aug. 1, with new episodes debuting weekly on Fridays on Apple TV+.