Tattoos For The Screen

Tattoos are as prevalent in current society as they are not only because of the hundreds of people who used their skin to pioneer and parade tattoos, who forced society out of its comfort zone and compelled it to view tattoos as something more than a freakshow attraction.

In the way that it does, TV and cinema have thrust an idea upon the general public and forced people to look upon their idols, and teenage idols adorned with artwork that adds to their character, makes them tougher, rougher round the edges. Gives them more believability and their performance more clout. The prevalence of tattooing in mass media has ingrained a feeling to a large percentage of people, not least my generation that tattooing is sexy. We're not entirely sure why we find it so attractive. Its not necessarily the fact that going through the pain of tattooing make you tough, different people's pain thresholds allow for different kinds of pain and some of the most delicate people I know have ink. It would not be absurd to suggest that the images in our minds of beautiful people displaying intricate and beautiful art on the perfectly toned bodies lay in the recess of our brains popping their tattooed selves our of our subconscious every time tattooing is mentioned. 

These people are our own examples of how tattooing can be beautiful, spectacular and character building so I give you some of the best tattoos given to us by the big and small screen.

Wentworth Miller as Michael Scofield in Prison Break.

Brad Pitt as Mickey O'Neil in Snatch

Viggo Mortensen as Nikolai Luzhin in Eastern Promises

Russell Brand as Aldous Snow in Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Angelina Jolie as Fox in Wanted

Matthew McConaughey as Denton Van Zan in Reign of Fire

Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flannery as Connor and Murphy MacManus in the Boondock Saints

Eric Bana as Nero in Star Trek

Cinema.com, Fyeah Hollywood, dreamgirldiaries, IMDB, Google Images,

Celebrity Ink - Russel Brand

Right inner bicep - sanskrit which reads "Anuugacchati Pravaha" - "Go With The Flow"

A lot of people think that Russell has a great number of tattoos due to his various movie roles, particularly Forgetting Sarah Marshall. All of these tattoos were fakes and were applied for the role. He and his wife, Katy Perry have matching sanskrit tattoos in the same place.

Source: Rolling Stone Magazine US (June 2010 issue), The Mirror

Celebrity Ink - Jay Baruchel

Red maple leaf on left pectoral.

Celtic cross on upper right arm.

"Ropell" mother's maiden name on right forearm

"It’s like in the army, they put on your dog tag – what religion you are – just so they know where to bury you. I tattooed this leaf, which they traced right out of my passport, onto my heart so they would know where the boy came from.


"I've actually got a couple. That's my mother's maiden name. She's six of eight kids, most of them are girls, so my granddad's name probably won't live on past this generation. It was my tribute to that side of the family. My mother hates it every time I get one. She'll never be psyched about them, but at least she can't take issue with them. I got the maple leaf, her family name, and then I got, representing her Irish side of the family, I got the Celtic cross."

Source: weheartit, still shots from Knocked Up, Google Images

Celebrity Ink - Lea Michele

"Imagine" on left foot (Glee co-stars Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale have matching tattoos)

Gold star on left wrist inspired by her Glee character, Rachel Berry.

"I Believe" in teal ink on her right wrist.

"Our city, our love..." on right outer foot.

Blue butterfly on right foot.

Butterfly on right hand side of lower back.

An un-photographed and undisclosed tattoo on her thigh in memory of her grandfather.

 Two musical notes, from Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" on her left shoulder.

A cross with "all you need is love" on left rib cage.

Sources: Google Images, GQ

Celebrity Ink - Evan Rachel Wood

"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream" below the nape of her neck - Edgar Allen Poe quote.

Heart with Aladdin Sane lightning bolt through the center on left upper thigh.

"15" behind left ear.

Heart and infinity symbol behind right ear - 'Forever Love'

Unknown tattoo inside her lip.

Large diamond on right inner ankle - a coverup of a poorly executed Beatles themed tattoo.

"J" on left inner ankle for previous partner Jamie Bell.

"I kind of always thought I would get a tattoo but I was waiting for something really special. This was a moment in my life I wanted to mark. I turned 18 and I was living on my own for the first time and I was in New York filming a Beatles musical. I thought it was a good time."  ‘It’s supposed to be a strawberry with leaves in the shape of a bird, but everybody says, `Is that a ferret sticking out of an apple?’”

“It’s a lightning bolt for David Bowie. And it has a black valentine heart around it...Marilyn has a black heart on his wrist and I have a black heart. We got them on Valentine’s Day.”

Source: Esquire, GQ, Google Images

Celebrity Ink - Johnny Depp

 "Betty Sue" in a heart on left arm in honour of his Mother.

Inverted triangle on left upper arm.

3 heart on left inner arm - for partner Vanessa Paradis and their 2 children.

"Winona Forever" in a banner on right arm (adjusted to "Wino Forever" after breaking up with Winona Ryder).

Skull and Crossbones on right bicep.

"Silence Exile Cunning" Quote from James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist of a Young Man" on left inner forearm.

"Jack" with a sparrow facing toward him flying over water on right outer forearm for his son.

American Indian head on right arm in honour of his Cherokee great-great grandmother, Minnie.

3 rectangles on right forefinger.

Question mark with "x" instead of dot (a part of the symbol from The Brave) on right inner ankle.

"Salve Ogum" with a picture of an Ogum (Afro-American deity) on left outer forearm.

"Lily-Rose" on chest, above heart for his daughter.

"3" on left hand.

Skull and crossbones with "death is certain"on right outer ankle.

Symbol from his movie The Brave on inner right forearm.

Gonzo fist on front of left lower leg.

Portrait of a his grandfather in Naval uniform on right forearm.

Portrait of a woman on left forearm.

3 dots on left inner ankle.

"My body is a journal in a way. It's like what sailors used to do, where every tattoo meant something, a specific time in your life when you make a mark on yourself, whether you do it yourself with a knife or with a professional tattoo artist."

Source: Vanity Fair, Google Images, Vanishing Tattoo

Job Blockers

Urban Dictionary cites a job blocker as a tattoo visible while wearing business attire, especially a tattoo on the neck. This often extends to tattoos on the hands, wrists and forearms.


A lot of tattoo artists won't tattoo someone on the neck or hands who does not already have a lot of work done as these are the tattoos which will most likely be regretted. While any tattoo is a lifetime commitment and shouldn't be rushed into, the potential hurdles that can be a result of a visible tattoo mean that a great deal of thought needs to be put into it. There is still a lot of lingering predjudice against tattooing due to its history, despite its rise in popularity and injection into the mainstream with more and more high profile and largely respected musicians, artists, actors, business people sporting ink.


A great many employers do not look favourably upon visible tattoos, particularly those on the neck or hands. It is often felt that a display of ink in such places portrays the owner in an unprofessional light. It is not a question of a person's abilities to perform a job but a statement of professional propriety. It can be said though that history of tattooing and its public perception, particularly in the last 200 years has been sordid to say the least and highly visible tattoos, on the face, neck and hands draws some scrutiny because of this history and its long association with gangs and the criminal underworld.

This is not to say that you shouldn't get tattooed in these places, i'm a huge fan of the neck tattoo and some of my friends have the most beautiful tattoos on their fingers, I have an un-hidable one on my wrist. You should just be aware, when choosing a tattoo in one of these places that in some professions placements such as these will not be readily accepted, where the choice for a job may be between you and a person who isn't sporting a full sleeve.


They are your tattoos and as long as you love them then to hell with the world just don't be one of those people who gets a tattoo for the hell of it. There are cheaper, less painful and less permanent ways to stick it to the man.


The simple truth is that the more visible your tattoos, the more open you are to prejudice.


On that note, there is nothing so affirming as having a stranger see your ink when it is on display.

Source: Google Images, Jim Kunstler's Daily Grunt Archive

Celebrity Ink - Megan Fox

Kanji Symbol for Strength on the back of her neck.

King Lear reference on right shoulder "we will all laugh at gilded butterflies".

Nietzsche quote on right ribs "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."

Memorial poem on left ribs " There once was a girl who never knew love until a boy broke her heart".

Marilyn Monroe portrait on right forearm.

Tribal design on left inner wrist.

Moon and star on right inner ankle.

"Brian" on lower right hip.

Quotes from Megan Fox about her tattoos:

"Everyone hates them because they are so closed-minded about tattoos"

"Every time I get a tattoo, it's a little fuck-you to anyone who tells me not to. I like the way getting a tattoo feels. It's weird to be a part of Hollywood, which tries to control every aspect of people, from what they say to the color of their hair. If I'm depressed, it's nice to get one and deal with the pain. I have one all the way down my ribs, it hurt but it felt good like twisting a loose tooth. I'm not kidding when I say that if I ever lose a role because of my tattoos, I'll quit Hollywood and go to work at Costco."

Sources: Esquire, GQ, Armani, Elle, Google Images