7 Actors Whose Real Tattoos Were Written Into The Script Vs. 8 Who Had To Hide Them For A Role
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When it comes to actors who have tattoos in real life, a lot of times they are covered up by makeup or visual effects artists who work on the various shows and movies. In fact, if an actor's real tattoo is going to be shown, their personal tattoo artist reportedly has to give permission.
"Actors and their agents and managers are getting pretty smart about it now because they want to showcase their ink," explained Jason Collins, who owns Autonomous FX, which specializes in special effects makeup. "They’re going to artists that are world-renowned or high-end or famous, and they’re getting clearances from those people when they get the work done, so that’s sort of a changing landscape for us."
So, here are seven actors who actually got to show off their personal tattoo designs in shows and movies vs. eight actors who had to have theirs covered up for a role:
1.WROTE IN: Tyler Posey's armband tattoo was written into Teen Wolf Season 3 when Scott got the same tattoo so production wouldn't have to cover up the entire piece. A music note from a Blink-182 song is also part of the tattoo, so only that small section was hidden. While they didn't cover that one tattoo, Tyler actually has tattoos up and down his leg and his right arm in real life, too.
Originally, he didn't want to have too many tattoos on his arm "because he's acting," so he stuck with having them on his legs. Eventually, though, he decided to put tattoos on his arms and they would just have to be covered with makeup.
2.COVERED: Chris Evans is covered in tattoos, which are hidden for a majority of his movie and TV roles, namely when he played Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has several on his chest and stomach.
In a 2014 interview, Chris talked about his tattoos, saying, "I really like tattoos, but the problem is, when you wear a short-sleeve shirt in a movie, that's an extra hour in the makeup chair. It's not worth it."
3.COVERED: Margot Robbie has "SKWAD" tattooed on the inside of her foot, which she shares alongside her fellow Suicide Squad cast members. For Barbie, Margot's tattoo is hidden, and it's especially noticeable during the now iconic Barbie tiptoes moment.
Margot actually did her own "SKWAD" tattoo, and she did one on director and writer David Ayer.
4.WROTE IN: Chad Michael Murray's tattoo on his shoulder was written into a Season 1 episode of One Tree Hill when Lucas and Brooke hang out at a bar and she convinces him to get one. Sophia Bush explained the storyline was written in because the show was "having such a hard time covering up" Chad's real tattoo, which is a different design IRL.
On the One Tree Hill podcast Drama Queens, Sophia and Hilarie Burton explained the makeup they were using to cover Chad's real tattoo, which is raised, would run when he'd sweat. So, on camera, it looked better when they covered his real tattoo and added one specific to Lucas, and it gave them an excuse to have Chad wear a Band-Aid over his tattoo during the basketball scenes.
5.COVERED: Harry Styles had to have his tattoos hidden when he starred in My Policeman. The process reportedly took two hours, and he said it was weird to look at himself without tattoos. Harry joked, "I'd look at myself with no tattoos and be like, 'Look at this boring ass body.'"
During the cover-up process, Harry said he was suddenly thankful he doesn't have any on his back because it offered "a brief moment of solace" during the long process.
6.WROTE IN: Matthew Fox's real tattoos were written into a Season 3 episode of Lost when flashbacks revealed the origins of Jack's tattoos. The episode was reportedly poorly received by the studio at the time, but the creators used it to negotiate that they needed a firm end date for the series because it was so planned out.
At the time, shows on network TV would run as long as they were popular, so for Lost, that became an issue when they had to fill up 21-episode seasons but were running out of story. Creator Damon Lindelof talked about the infamous Jack tattoo episode, saying he remembered telling the studio, "We don’t like it, either, but it’s the best we can do if we’re not moving the story forward. And we’re now at a point, guys, where we can’t move the story forward." The studio eventually reportedly gave them a series finale date.
7.COVERED: Tessa Thompson's small tattoos on her arms were hidden while playing Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, they were replaced with Valkyrie's own tattoos. After wrapping Thor: Ragnarok, Tessa revealed Taika Waititi gave her a tattoo: three dots on her ankle, which symbolize the third Thor movie.
"I'm slightly addicted," Tessa said when talking about her tattoos in a 2019 interview. She added, "I scar so easily. I was like, I might as well just scar myself."
8.WROTE IN: Dominic Fike's real tattoos on his face were kept when he starred as Elliot on Euphoria. In a 2019 interview, Dominic said his apple tattoo is in honor of his sister Apollonia, and is a reminder for "what he's working for."
However, in 2021, he said the tattoo was done on a whim. The letters "LBE" on his forehead reportedly stand for "Lame Boyz ENT," which is the name of a music group he was in.
9.COVERED: Pete Davidson's tattoos on his chest were covered for his role as David in Bodies Bodies Bodies. In an interview, makeup department head Sarah Graalman said they made the decision to cover Pete's tattoos, saying David was "the kind of person who would never get upper body tattoos in case he had to work." The only tattoos they left visible were on David's legs as a "form of rebellion" from his rich parents.
A special effects makeup artist was brought in to cover Pete's tattoos, and it took around two hours to do so. Pete has also begun having some of his tattoos removed, IRL.
10.WROTE IN: Joseph Morgan has a tattoo on his shoulder and part of his chest in real life, and it was kept in when he played Klaus Mikaelson on The Vampire Diaries/The Originals. You can really spot the tattoo in a Season 4 episode when Klaus is shirtless after having sex with Hayley for the first time.
A few of Joseph's other tattoos can also be spotted throughout his run as Klaus on both series.
11.WROTE IN: Matt Ryan has a triangle tattoo on his back, which was visible when he played John Constantine on Constantine and Legends of Tomorrow. He actually shares the tattoo with his friends Joseph Morgan and Leon Davis.
In a 2015 interview, Joseph said it's his most meaningful tattoo, and they all got it as a symbol of their friendship. They all grew up together and often referred to their friendship as "the triangle." He added, "We got them together a couple of years ago in London."
12.COVERED: Riley Keough has several tattoos, but the one on her collarbone is one of the most prominent. The tattoo, which reads, "Benjamin Storm" in honor of her late brother, is noticeably covered up when she played Daisy Jones in Daisy Jones & the Six.
In 2017, speaking about her tattoos, she said, "It’s like a scrapbook," referring to how she often gets tattoos to mark significant milestones in her life.
13.WROTE IN: Kristen Stewart's tattoos are often hidden for her roles, especially when she played Princess Diana in Spencer. However, she got to show off her real ink in Charlie's Angels. The tattoo on her arm was actually inspired by a fake tattoo she had to wear for a movie. She ended up loving it so much, she got it for real.
In a 2015 interview, Kristen explained how she didn't have tattoos for a while because her entire family has them, and she saw not having one as an "act of rebellion." When she eventually decided on her first one, her mom took her.
14.COVERED: Hilary Duff had to cover her tattoos with makeup while starring as Sophie on How I Met Your Father. Makeup artist Katie Middleton explained that while Sophie had some tattoos, she wouldn't necessarily have as many as Hilary has in real life.
"We would get a laugh when Duff would show up to work with a new one," Katie began. "I covered all of her tattoos except for one small one on each arm."
15.And finally, COVERED: KJ Apa has several tattoos, which were hidden while he starred as Archie on Riverdale. Makeup department head Juliana Vit, who joined the show in Season 3, said, "He actually sent me a video after getting his newest tattoo on his arm. I thought, Oh dear, because he's always shirtless."
Juliana explained how they covered KJ's tattoos, saying, "To cover them, we first use a coral cream from a Skin Illustrator palette to cancel out the darkness in the black ink, then we go in with another palette that's thick, dries really fast, and doesn't smudge. It takes about 40 minutes to finish him, face and body, for shirtless scenes."
