Faithful ally of Mel Gibson in “Braveheart”, then Ciceron in “Gladiator” before playing in “Sons of Anarchy”, Tommy Flanagan marked the spirits in part by his imposing scars on the face.
The landmark debut of Tommy Flanagan
Tommy Flanagan is one of those actors that we do not forget. A unique face that we discovered in 1995 with Braveheart by Mel Gibson. Even if he is not in the foreground of the feature film, he still marks the spirits by playing a Scotsman who will fight alongside William Wallace. More precisely, the man who sees his wife obliged to spend her first night with an English Lord because of the right of seigneur (Noctis Primae) established by Edward I of England to push the Scots to the limit.
Thereafter, Tommy Flanagan chained other supporting roles among which we retain mainly Gladiator (2000) by Ridley Scott. In it, he interprets Cicero, the faithful right-hand man of Maximus (Russell Crowe). In these two films in particular (then, much later in Sons of Anarchy), the scars on the actor’s face fit perfectly with the story and the universe. So much so that one would have thought that it was only a question of make-up to represent the violence of the war. Only no, these are indeed real scars. But how did the actor get them?
The origin of scars
Tommy Flanagan is a pure product of Glasgow. In his early years, before becoming an actor, he officiated as DJ in a pub. One evening in 1992, after the show, he was attacked by a gang who wanted to steal it. Flanagan didn’t give up. As a result, the group left this mark on his face. More specifically David Hugues, a trafficker at the time. Using a knife, he did this to her. “smile of the angel” (or “Glasgow smile”) which consists of marking the victim’s mouth to the ears. It would then be in the hospital that his friend Robert Carlyle persuaded him to try to become an actor.
Since then, Tommy Flanagan has been a safe bet in cinema and series. Above all, he managed to impose himself as he is, without having to hide his Scottish accent or his scars. Often asked about the issue, he explained in 2014 to vulnerability pay no more attention to his scars.
It’s just ancient history now. It was a horrible thing that happened 20 years ago. I don’t care now. It’s like a big wrinkle on my face.
Seen recently in Mayans MC and WestworldTommy Flanagan is mostly in the cast of Power Book IV: Strength available on STARZPLAY.
