Henry Cavill didn't mean 'disrespect' with #MeToo remarks

July 13 (UPI) -- Henry Cavill says he didn't mean any "disrespect" with his recent #MeToo remarks.

The 35-year-old actor apologized in a statement through his rep Thursday to The Hollywood Reporter after telling GQ Australia he doesn't pursue new women out of fear of being called a "rapist."

"Insensitivity was absolutely not my intention," Cavill said. "In light of this, I would just like to clarify and confirm to all that I have always and will continue to hold women in the highest regard, no matter the type of relationship, whether it be friendship, professional or a significant other."

"Never would I intend to disrespect in any way, shape or form," he added. "This experience has taught me a valuable lesson as to the context and the nuance of editorial liberties. I look forward to clarifying my position in the future toward a subject that is so vitally important and in which I wholeheartedly support."

Cavill discussed #MeToo, a movement against sexual harassment and assault, in an interview with GQ Australia published Tuesday. He said he believes in a "traditional" approach to flirting and dating where a woman is "wooed and chased."

"It's very difficult to do that if there are certain rules in place. Because then it's like: 'Well, I don't want to go up and talk to her, because I'm going to be called a rapist or something,'" Cavill said.

"So you're like, 'Forget it, I'm going to call an ex-girlfriend instead, and then just go back to a relationship, which never really worked.' But it's way safer than casting myself into the fires of hell, because I'm someone in the public eye, and if I go and flirt with someone, then who knows what's going to happen?" he opined.

"Now? Now you really can't pursue someone further than, 'No.' It's like, 'OK, cool,'" the star added. "But then there's the, 'Oh why'd you give up?' And it's like, 'Well, because I didn't want to go to jail?'"

Cavill is known for playing Superman in the DC Comics cinematic universe. He will next star with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible - Fallout, which opens in theaters July 27.