Actress says ink is now mainstream, no longer appeals to her

Jan 21, 2010 20:21 GMT  ·  By
Actress Helen Mirren says she hates the tattoo she got on her hand when she was young
   Actress Helen Mirren says she hates the tattoo she got on her hand when she was young

Helen Mirren, undoubtedly one of the most talented and appreciated female stars of today, has a wild side to her that perhaps not all fans were aware of. Speaking on Good Morning America the other day, the star revealed that she had come to regret the tattoo she got on her hand when she was young and drunk, as ContactMusic can confirm.

According to the actress, back in the day when she got the ink on her hand, not many women actually dared get tattoos, especially in such places where they could be seen from a mile away. Getting it was an act of rebellion, Mirren said, but that no longer applies today, as body art has become “mainstream,” with more and more celebrities sporting tattoos in the most unusual of places.

“I was very, very drunk. It was a very, very long time ago, when only sailors and Hell’s Angels were tattooed, honestly, and prisoners. I decided to get a tattoo because it was the most shocking thing I could think of doing,” the actress explained. Things have changed since then, though, and not for the better. “Now I’m utterly disgusted and shocked because it’s become completely mainstream, which is unacceptable to me,” she added.

Speaking of mainstream and how tattoos have become something common in Hollywood, one must only think of Megan Fox and how much debate she has generated with the ink she has all over her body. Reportedly a fan of Angelina Jolie and the way she continues to rock her tattoos even when she’s stepping on the red carpet in the most glamorous gowns, Fox is admittedly thinking of getting a tattoo sleeve, much to the disappointment of her own mother, reports were saying last summer.

“Her mom has never understood why her daughter would want to cover her gorgeous body with tattoos. After each new tattoo, Darlene pleaded with Megan not to get more. Darlene believes that when Megan is a 40-year-old woman wanting to play more mature roles, people won’t want to hire her because it will be too hard to cover her tattoos. Megan said Angie is proof that a woman can have tattoos and still be successful,” the print edition of the National Enquirer wrote in June ’09, as we also reported at the time.