Sahar Mourad
Travel Trouble

Aquaman in hot water after disrespecting artworks

Jason Mamoa has landed himself in hot water after taking photos inside Apostolic Palace.

The Aquaman star shared several photographs of himself and others inside the Palace on Instagram with the caption: I LOVE YOU ITALY what a beautiful start to our day off enjoying ROMA.

The 42-year-old however was called out by fans who claimed he was given special treatment by being allowed to take photos.

Photographs are banned inside the Apostolic Palace because the flash from cameras can harm and destroy the beautiful artworks. 

“Omg of course they let you take pictures (I thought it wasn’t allowed for preservation purposes),” someone commented.

“You cannot touch any of our masterpieces!!!” another exclaimed.

“We, regular people, are not allowed to film inside the Sistine Chapel,” another added.

“We can’t take pics but ofc  celebrities can. Nothing against Jason (I adore him) but it’s not fair,” someone else commented.

“I thought it was forbidden to take pictures at the Sistine Chapel. It WAS two weeks ago, when we visited. So disrespectful,” someone else wrote.

“Wow! You got a private viewing of the Vatican AND you were allowed to take pictures?!” another pointed out.

Mamoa has since issued a video in which he apologised for disrespecting the historic artwork and culture. He however has not removed the photos off Instagram. 

“I just also wanted to say, if you ever felt that I disrespected your culture, it wasn’t my intention,” Momoa said in the video shared by Just Jared.

“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.

“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 apologise. 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.”

Images: Instagram

Tags:
Jason Mamoa, Aquaman, Apostolic Palace, Rome, photography, backlash