DANVERS — Hundreds of people lined up at Market Basket’s beer, wine and liquor store in Danvers Tuesday afternoon to meet actor Jason Momoa as he took selfies with fans and signed 1,000 bottles of his new Meili Vodka.
Momoa is touring the East Coast with his business partner Blaine Halvorson to promote the vodka brand.
A line of anxious fans led all the way out the store at 139 Endicott St. — which is next-door to the supermarket — and wrapped around the side of the building for their chance to meet with the actor.
Fans wore Aquaman shirts, brought posters from his films, and bought signed Meili Vodka bottles to show their love for the 6-foot-5 Hawaii-born actor.
“I’ve been a fan of Jason for years,” said Gretchen Gordon, of Dracut, who clutched a sequin pillow with Momoa’s face embroidered on it. “We found out about this last night and left work for a few hours just to come here.”
Momoa is best known for his portrayal of characters like DC superhero Aquaman and Khal Drago from “Game of Thrones,” as well as his role in the upcoming Minecraft movie.
“He just seems like such a kind, genuine person,” said Nellie Powell, who made the trip from Tewksbury to meet Momoa. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like him.”
Mike Clark, the store’s spirits division buyer, said the Danvers Market Basket was one of the first stores in the country to start selling Meili Vodka.
Thanks to this, along with a good relationship with the store’s distributor, the store was added to the list of Momoa’s stops for his East Coast tour to promote the vodka.
To wrap up his visit to Massachusetts, Momoa played a rock show with his band, Oof Tatata, at the Memoire at Encore Boston in Everett.
“So far it’s been great,” Clark said. “These people are so excited, whether they know him from ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Aquaman’, or his vodka.
“Vodka is a very competitive market with a lot of big brands, making it tough to break into. When you have a star like him, it makes it a bit easier.”
Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202