Jason Momoa has apologized after he was criticized by fans for taking pictures in the Sistine Chapel during a recent trip to Vatican City.
The 42-year-old actor was in Rome, which surrounds the Vatican city-state, to film for the upcoming movie Fast And Furious 10: Fast X, and took some time off to take his friends and the film’s crew on a private trip take away Visit to the chapel.
However, after posting images from inside the building to Instagram this week, he received critical comments from fans who pointed out that the public cannot normally take pictures inside, with one writing: “We, ordinary people, are not allowed filming the Sistine Chapel inside,” after which he apologized.
Controversial: Jason Momoa, 42, has apologized after he was criticized by fans for taking pictures in the Sistine Chapel during a recent trip to Vatican City
He told Just Jared: “I just wanted to also say if you’ve ever felt that I was disrespecting your culture, that wasn’t my intention.
“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’ve made a wonderful donation to bring my friends and crew because we only had a few days off to experience these places.
“And then I realized that people wanted to take pictures with me, which is very strange, during a trip to the Vatican with all these wonders, and they wanted to take pictures with me, which I don’t understand, but whatever, I have it did.
Filmmaker: The actor was in Rome, which surrounds the Vatican city-state, filming for the upcoming film Fast And Furious 10: Fast X
Out and about: He took some time out to take his friends and film crew on a private tour of the chapel
Jason went on to say that he never meant to disrespect anyone’s culture and apologized when that happened.
The actor concluded his apology by saying he paid for the private tour and also made a “nice donation to the church.”
After seeing Jason’s pictures, some of his Instagram followers took to the page to leave comments.
“They allowed you to take photos of the Sistine Chapel??? wow ! Enjoy Italy,” one person wrote.
“We normal people are not allowed to film in the Sistine Chapel,” wrote another.
Unimpressed: After posting pictures from inside the building to Instagram this week, one fan wrote: “We, ordinary people, are not allowed to film inside the Sistine Chapel.”
“All I remember about this place was ‘no photos please,'” shared another.
Another person wrote: “We can’t take pictures but many celebrities can. Nothing against Jason (I adore him), but it’s not fair.’
While another wrote: “So they let the rich and famous film there, but we farmers can’t. It’s amazing this place Jason. Enjoy every second of Rome. It’s almost as good as Manchester x.”
Seeing the sights: Another follower wrote: “So they let the rich and famous film there but we farmers can’t.”
Jason has been busy filming the upcoming Fast And Furious 10: Fast X in the Italian capital of Rome.
He is supposed to play a villain in the 10th part of the film series.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Jason said of his role: “It’s fun, I get to play the villain, which I haven’t done in a while.
“Now I get to be the bad boy. A very flamboyant bad boy. A little panache!’
Movie magic: Jason has been busy filming the upcoming Fast And Furious 10: Fast X in the Italian capital of Rome
At the same time, Jason shared his excitement at working with Charlize Theron and confirmed her return to the films as villain Cipher.
He said: “I get to work with some really cool people that I’ve never had – I get to work with Charlize [Theron] First of all, which I’m really looking forward to. But yeah, I’m happy to be working with Vin. I’m excited to be working with Charlize.
Fans waiting for one of the final installments in the franchise will have to wait a little longer, as Fast & Furious 10 will be pushed back to the Summer 2023 film season.
F9 grossed just over $173 million domestically (the fourth-highest domestic gross of 2021) and $726.2 million worldwide from an estimated budget of $200 million.
Pro: Speaking to Entertainment Tonight about his role, Jason said, “It’s fun, I get to play the villain, which I haven’t done in a while.”
While those numbers are roughly mid-table for the franchise as a whole, during a normal cinema climate during COVID, those numbers were pretty impressive.
Justin Lin, who directed F9 and several other films in the franchise, will direct again, with stars including Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Nathalie Emmanuel, Michelle Rodriguez and Ludacris returning alongside Jason and Oscar winner Charlize.
No plot details have been released for this sequel, although star producer Vin Diesel made headlines in November when he asked former co-star Dwayne Johnson to return for an “important” role in Fast 10.
Johnson debuted as Luke Hobbs in Fast Five and helped propel the franchise to new heights at the box office, though tensions between the two escalated on the set of 2017’s The Fate of the Furious.
They haven’t worked together since then as Johnson’s character has been thrust into a new adventure, 2019’s Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw starring Jason Statham.
Co-stars: No plot details have been announced for this sequel, although star producer Vin Diesel made headlines in November when he asked former co-star Dwayne Johnson (R) to return for a “key” role in Fast 10