Jason Momoa has taken to Instagram to apologize for taking photos in the Sistine Chapel, where photography is typically prohibited.
The Aquaman actor, 42, is currently in Rome shooting FastX, the 10th installment in the Fast And The Furious saga.
But after sharing several photos of himself inside the iconic Sistine Chapel, the actor was heavily criticized by some of his 16.9 million followers.
In the snaps, Momoa can be seen standing below the famous Michelangelo paintings that decorate the walls and ceilings of the chapel. In the caption, he wrote: "I LOVE YOU ITALY what a beautiful start to our day off enjoying ROMA."
However, fans bombarded his comment section to point out the fact that visitors are generally restricted from taking photos or videos inside the chapel, which is located in Vatican City.
The Dune actor then interrupted his workout to address the backlash over the footage taken during his visit. In the video, he reflected on his love for Italy and remarked that it wasn't his intention to disrespect the culture.
"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 really experience the Sistine Chapel and come to the Vatican, and the Pieta is one of my favorites. 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 [of] days off to experience these places."
The star then voiced that fans asked him for photos, which he accepted, and he also asked for permission to take photos inside the chapel:
"[It's] 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 said. "So I was very respectful, and I asked for permission from what I thought would be OK."
He noted that despite being oblivious to the customs, he wouldn't intentionally disrespect someone's culture and that he paid to have that private moment.
"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. My apologies," he concluded.
"I love your culture and history," he added in his Instagram post caption, which expressed love for the Italians.
The apology video has amassed over 3 million views and has almost 500k likes
Per Mental Floss, the prohibition against photography in Sistine Chapel has been in place for decades and stems from a long-standing copyright agreement with Japan's Nippon Television Network Corporation, which financed its extensive restoration project launched in 1980.
Some of the terms have since expired, per the outlet, but the ban on photography remains inconsistent, which probably explains why Mamoa was able to document his experience inside the Vatican City.