Actors love tattoos because ink sticks when fame fades. From sleeve work to small symbols, ten stars turned skin into diaries, marking births, losses, and breakout roles. You’ve seen the tattoos on red carpets. Now you get why they matter, and why placement beats flash every time in pop culture.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie’s body is covered with more than 20 tattoos. Possibly the most talked-about piece is the detailed artwork on her back. The yantra script on her spine and right shoulder is the Buddhist blessing for peace, love, and prosperity. There’s also a Buddhist Pali incantation that she got on her upper back for protection from bad luck.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The Rock’s tattoos make him look even more fierce than he already does, but the meaning behind them is actually pretty sweet. The former WWE wrestler has a huge tribal tattoo that runs along the left side of his chest, shoulder, neck, and arm to represent his Samoan background, his triumph over his struggles, and his family. He also has a realistic (and kinda creepy) bull skull on his right arm as a symbol for looking forward.
Ella Purnell
Michael Harvey (the makeup department head for Fallout) once said it was such a chore covering up Ella Purnell’s tattoos for the Amazon series, and we completely believe him. Purnell has the most delicate inkwork scattered across her arms and legs (27 by her own account). But if we had to pick one to copy, it would be the set of Koi fish swimming over the backs of her left and right arms. The design represents balance, perseverance, and good fortune. We definitely see the balance aspect.
Emilia Clarke
Emilia Clarke has several tiny but incredibly meaningful tattoos on her body. The English actress wears a bumblebee on her pinky finger to represent the film Me Before You, three black dragon silhouettes on her wrist as a nod to Game of Thrones, and a goat on her side to honour a nickname her late father gave her.
Idris Elba
Idris Elba is far more tattooed than we’d have ever realised. He has “Lion Heart” inked on his chest, “One Life” on his forearm, and plenty more where that came from. But one piece we’ve seen a lot more often is the star and lion face on his hand. The design is a mix of elements from the flags of his mother’s and father’s native countries, Ghana and Sierra Leone.
Jason Momoa
Jason Momoa has some pretty detailed artwork inked onto his body (at least ten if we’re talking numbers). Of course, his largest pieces are the tribal art on his head and left forearm. Both feature shark-teeth patterns, which represent the Hawaiian ancestral guardian spirit for his family. It’s meant to bring light and remove darkness.
Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba may not have the most tattoos on this list, but she does have more than you can count on one hand. In fact, the Trigger Warning actress just added a new piece to her collection following her split from Cash Warren. That said, our favourite is still the three constellation tattoos she had done in 2019. The dainty pieces represent her kids’ astrological signs.
Scarlett Johansson
It’s hard not to be entranced by Scar Jo’s massive (yet completely elegant) back tattoo. The piece of a rose vine with thorns was done by Joshua Lord around 2017. Though the Avengers star hasn’t confirmed the meaning of the design yet, fans speculate that it could be a tribute to her daughter, Rose.
Sylvester Stallone
There has been plenty of talk around Sylvester Stallone’s tattoos. More specifically, the dog design he used to cover up a tattoo of his wife’s face after they fought about said dog back in 2022. But as intricate as the piece is, it’s definitely not his best. That title belongs to the skull and eagle on his pecs. Stallone actually got the work done to cover up scarring from when he tore his entire pec off during a bench-press competition with Franco Columbu. True story.
Tom Hardy
If you’ve ever caught a glimpse of Tom Hardy shirtless (which you probably would have without even trying), you’ll notice his chest and upper arms are covered in tats…very large tats. He even has a piece that says “Leo knows everything”. He got said piece after losing a bet with DiCaprio regarding his Oscar win for The Revenant back in 2016. He also has a wolf, raven, and sacred heart inked on his forearm, all said to be inspired by the same film.
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