Elijah Wood has 'no firsthand experience' with Hollywood child abuse

Elijah Wood insists he has "no firsthand experience or observation" of a Hollywood paedophile ring.

The 35-year-old actor - who is best known for his starring role in the Lord of the Rings franchise - previously claimed there is a conspiracy to cover-up historic cases of child abuse involving some of the movie industry's most influential names, likening the situation to the case of British entertainer Jimmy Savile, who was exposed as a paedophile after his death in 2011.

But he has now insisted his remarks were taken further than he intended as he had only had a "brief" exchange about a "powerful documentary" he had seen.

He tweeted: "The Sunday Times interviewed me about my latest film but the story became about something else entirely.

"It prompted a number of false and misleading headlines. I had just seen a powerful documentary and I briefly spoke with the reporter about the subject which had consequences I did not intend or expect. Lesson learned.

"Let me be clear: This subject of child abuse is an important one that should be discussed and properly investigated. But as I made absolutely clear to the writer, I have no firsthand experience or observation of the topic, so I cannot speak with any authority beyond articles I have read and films I have seen."

In his original interview, Elijah admitted the expose of Jimmy Savile - a popular figure in the UK until it emerged he abused hundreds of victims over the course of his career, and used his fame and influence to cover his tracks - must have been "devastating" to his fans.

He said: "You all grew up with Savile, Jesus, it must have been devastating."

And he went on to discuss "vipers" in the industry who had similar intentions.

Elijah told the Sunday Times newspaper: "Clearly something major was going on in Hollywood. It was all organised. There are a lot of vipers in this industry, people who only have their own interests in mind. There is darkness in the underbelly - if you can imagine it, it's probably happened."

Elijah added that abuse victims cannot speak loudly enough to have their voices heard amid the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

However, he remains grateful to his own mother for ensuring he was protected from sinister characters during his early years in the movie business.

He said: "She was far more concerned with raising me to be a good human than facilitating my career."

- Bang! Showbiz