Jason Momoa ''always'' wanted to be a father.

The 'Aquaman' star - who has 12-year-old daughter Lola and son Nakoa-Wolf, 10, with wife Lisa Bonet - was raised by his mother after his parents split when he was a baby and not only did he ''envy'' his relatives who had their dads around, it also forged a strong paternal instinct in himself.

He said: ''I always thought being a dad was cool! But I mean I always wanted to be a dad - that was my thing... But I look up to my uncles. They were idols to me.

''My cousins are so lucky - I was a little envious of not having a dad around so I always wanted to be one myself.''

The 40-year-old star is trying to ''figure out'' how to be the best father possible and he's always willing to learn from other people.

Speaking to Australia's GQ magazine in an interview to mark being named the publication's Man of the Year, he said: ''I mean I just turned 40, so f**k, I'm trying to figure s**t out too.

''I'm trying to be the best dad that I can, at the same time

I wasn't really raised by one myself. I was raised by a strong woman so I'm just trying to figure it all out too.

''But I think maybe that's why I have a lot of good guy friends, because I'm open and I'm always asking questions when we get together to talk about stuff. And I need that.

''I didn't have a dad around so when you look up to someone, if they have something good going on, you can learn from that, and accept it, bring it into your own fold and pass it on.''