Jason Momoa has apologized after his pictures of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City drew criticism.
The ‘Aquaman‘ actor was in Italy, filming for the upcoming movie, ‘Fast X‘ opposite Vin Diesel, when he posted pictures of himself at the famed destination.
Instagram users pointed out that regular people are not allowed to film inside the Sistine Chapel, with one noting that they don’t have anything against Momoa, but the difference in rules seems “unfair”.
The chapel is a sacred place of worship for Christians and houses famous artwork by Michelangelo. Momoa apologized for flouting the rules, saying “if you ever felt that I disrespected your culture, it wasn’t my intention”.
The actor explained he was taking advantage after getting a couple of days off from the shoot, and after a monetary donation, he’d set up a visit for himself and his friends and crewmembers. The actor continued that people at the chapel had wanted to take pictures with him, and he’d obliged.
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“I found people who wanted to take pictures with me, which is very odd, during a trip to the Vatican with all this splendour, and they want to take pictures with me, which I don’t get, but regardless, I did”, Momoa said, adding, “I was very respectful, and I asked for permission — what I thought would be OK. I would never want to do anything to disrespect someone’s culture, so if I did, I apologize. It wasn’t my intention.”
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Momoa concluded “I definitely paid to have that private moment and gave a nice donation to the church. I love you — sorry if I offended you. My apologies.”
He also noted that filming has wrapped in Italy, and described it as “the time of my life”. Momoa also thanked Universal Pictures and co-star Diesel, for a chance to be part of the franchise.
