Leeds health store's delight hosting 'cool, friendly' actor Jason Momoa during filming for erotic thriller

Out Of This World on Central Road was closed on Monday so that it could be used to shoot scenes for ‘Scorn’, a film reportedly produced by Momoa and starring his girlfriend Adria Arjona and Kingsley Ben-Adir

While it will have been a disappointment for customers wanting to swing by for their vitamins, vegetables and herbal teas, shop owner Damian Tapper said that they were delighted to host the film crew for the day.

Momoa, known for playing ‘Aquaman’ in the DC film franchises and his performances in Game Of Thrones, A Minecraft Movie and Fast X, has been spotted across the north of England over the last week while shooting has been taking place.

Mr Tapper said: “It was an honour to be approached by the film producers at the start of the year. It’s not every day that Jason Momoa spends the day at our shop!”

After filming Momoa and Arjona spoke to staff at the store and bought a selection of products, including charcoal toothpaste, tea tree toothpaste, Nairns oat low sugar biscuits, and Weleda skin food moisturiser.

Mr Tapper said: “Jason was just as cool, friendly, and handsome in real life as you’d expect.

“He praised us for our ‘incredible selection of products’ and after filming spent time shopping here for lots of our goodies. He was particularly interested in our natural charcoal and tea tree toothpastes and was eager to learn the benefits of both of these.

“We absolutely love that Mr Momoa was keen to learn about our products and made such great ethical, health conscious choices here. He’s welcome back anytime he’s here in Leeds!”

Mr Tapper said that the store, which has been situated at two different sites on the road since opening 21 years ago, will feature in several scenes in the film, which is billed as an erotic thriller set between London and New York.

He said that the store was redecorated to keep in fitting with the film - with the sign stating ‘Yorkshire’s Favourite Health Food Destination’ being changed to say ‘London’s’.

He added that the producers did not allow pictures to be taken with the crew on set, so the only way he’s been able to prove the visit took place is by using the store’s CCTV.

The high-profile visit was a welcome change of fortune for the store, which along with other independent businesses on Central Road has had to contend with significant disruption over the last three years while the House of Fraser building was demolished and a 369-bed student accommodation block built in its place.

The building was completed last year but resurfacing work on the road started up again in January and has significantly impacted business, Mr Tapper said.

He said: “We have had an incredibly tough time over the last 15 months.

“We’ve been surrounded by a considerable amount of construction projects and road works.

“This has hugely affected not just us but all the surrounding independent businesses.

“We’ve been here in Leeds for 21 years but last year was by far the hardest yet, so it was welcome to have a little break from this during filming.

“We really need ever to come down to support us over the coming weeks and months as the construction work is still ongoing and we don’t want this year to be our last in Leeds.”