Jason Momoa Apologizes After Photograph Snafu During Rome Visit

Jason Momoa apologized for breaking a sacred rule during a recent visit to the Sistine Chapel. The  Fast & Furious 10 star shared a slideshow featuring photos and video of the action star taking in Michelangelo’s masterpieces on Instagram earlier this week. Photography is strictly prohibited inside the Apostolic Palace, primarily because flashes from cameras can damage the artwork.

Momoa captioned the post, “I LOVE YOU ITALY what a beautiful start to our day off enjoying ROMA.” The caption, however, was not well received by some fans, upset at Momoa’s seeming disregard for the rules.

In response to the backlash, Momoa released a video apology to JustJared. “I just also wanted to say, if you ever felt that I disrespected your culture, it wasn’t my intention,” he said. “I came here when I was 19 or 20 to experience the Sistine Chapel. I’ve always wanted to and now that I can, I gave a wonderful donation to bring my friends and crew because we only had a couple days off to experience these places.”

“And then I found people wanted to take pictures with me, which is very odd, during a trip to the Vatican with all this wonder and they want to take pictures with me, which I don’t get, but regardless, I did,” he continued. “I was very respectful and I asked for permission from what I thought, would be okay. I would never want to do anything to disrespect someone’s culture. If I did, I apologize. It was not my intention. I paid to have that private moment and gave a nice donation to the church. I love you. I’m sorry if I offended you.”

Momoa recently wrapped up several days of filming on the set of Fast X in Italy.  He shared photos from his time in Rome with JustJared, including when he met co-star Michelle Rodriguez for the first time and when he toured the Colosseum, snapping pictures of the local landmarks with his parents, Coni and Joseph Momoa.

Momoa said he recruited Hells Angels to protect him from paparazzi while in Rome during an Instagram Story. “I just want to show you my new tour guides. The other ones weren’t working out. We were just like ‘Man, the paparazzi are just so skilled here.’ So we’re at the Garden of Oranges, it’s beautiful here. Not one paparazzi in sight,” he wrote.