Tommy Flanagan has been a part of the entertainment industry for many years. He is widely regarded as one of the most prominent and villainous character actors working in Hollywood today. It is a matter of fact that his facial scars are a defining characteristic, particularly in the character he plays. And if you’re curious about how he got his facial scars, this video has you covered. So come along and discover the truth behind Tommy’s scars.
HOW HE GOT HIS SCARS
Tommy Flanagan was born in a less than desirable section of Easterhouse, Glasgow, Scotland. One day, he was having a typical night out at a pub carrying out his DJ gig when he was ambushed and robbed by a group of strangers as he left the establishment. He fought back, but Flanagan couldn’t stand up to them; they were too many. Unfortunately, his attackers were well-armed, and they slashed and stabbed him across both cheeks.
Fortunately, Tommy Flanagan managed to survive the attack, but the scar on his face has become his signature look. The scar was nicknamed the “Glasgow Smile.” Despite this terrible and traumatic incident, Flanagan pursued a career in the entertainment industry, which is widely believed to be heavily based on looks.
HOW HE GOT INTO ACTING
If Tommy had hoped to pursue a career in Hollywood, he would have been devastated to discover that he now had a weird scar on his face. However, Tommy Flanagan had no interest in a career in show business.
When Flanagan was a young child living in the Easterhouse area, he volunteered his services as an altar boy at the church. Later in life, Flanagan worked at a neighbourhood nightclub, where he had learned to DJ. It seemed like everything was going well for Tommy, until the knife attack. As the adage goes, “life has other plans,” and in retrospect, this terrible assault ended up giving Hollywood one of the finest and meanest performers.
Many of Flanagan’s acquaintances assured him that he would have no trouble landing starring roles in television and film because of his striking appearance and iconic Glasgow smile. However, until his colleague and friend actor Robert Carlyle encouraged him to give acting a shot, he had no interest in doing so.
Flanagan maintained his career as a DJ in nightclubs after he had recovered from the attack. Following Carlyle’s recommendation, he decided to join the Raindog Theatre Company in the 1990s and made his stage debut in shows including “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Macbeth.”
Flanagan, who had no intention of making a profession out of acting, realized how his ordeal fit into the bigger picture.
In 1992, Flanagan made his acting debut in an uncredited part in an episode of the BBC anthology series Screen One. Aside from that, one of his first notable parts was in an episode of the famous Scottish detective series Taggart in 1993, for which he won critical acclaim for his depiction of Tam McLeod.
Flanagan had a few roles in Scottish television films like Tis the Season to be Jolly and Jolly: A Life before he became widely known for his work in Hollywood’s epic war picture Braveheart. Mel Gibson directed the 1995 flick, and Flanagan portrayed Morrison. Since that time, Flannagan has had many opportunities come his way. He has been in numerous Hollywood, British, and Scottish films, playing significant roles in films like Gladiator, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, Alien vs. Predator, and Sin City. In 2008, Flanagan appeared as Chibs Telford in one of FX’s highest-rated thrillers, Sons of Anarchy. His most recent works include The Jesuit (2022) and Power Book IV: Force.
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OTHER CELEBRITIES WITH VISIBLE SCARS
Many other Hollywood stars, not just Flanagan, have noticeable scars. All of those famous scars on their bodies have an interesting backstory, much like Flanagan’s.
Seal, a British singer, is among them. The musician and vocalist has facial scars as a result of his childhood battle with Discoid Lupus Erythematosus.
DLE is an inflammatory skin condition that results in lesions, scarring, and irreversible hair loss.
Keanu Reeves
Even though he is a Hollywood legend, few people know that Keanu Reeves has a long scar across his stomach. A motorbike accident in Topanga Canyon left him with a scar on his stomach. He had been driving at night without his headlights on, a practice known as a “devil ride,” when he ran into the side of a mountain. He lay on the ground for thirty minutes after the collision before anyone came to his aid. After sustaining shattered ribs and a spleen rupture, he spent a week in the hospital.
Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi’s under-chin on the left side of his face is scarred in a long, diagonal line across the left side of his jaw. In 2001, while filming Domestic Disturbance in North Carolina, Buscemi suffered an injury that left him scarred. Buscemi, Vince Vaughn, and Scott Rosenberg, a screenwriter, all went to the Firebelly Lounge for a drink one day. A confrontation broke out between a woman and her boyfriend when she began talking to Vaughn. When Buscemi came to his friend’s help, Timothy Fogerty, who was 21 years old at the time, stabbed him several times in the face, chin, throat, and arm. Buscemi’s injuries were potentially fatal. Thankfully, he made it, but he had to learn to live with the scars for the rest of his life.
Harrison Ford
It’s also not widely known that Harrison Ford, another well-known actor, has a scar on his chin. When he first arrived in LA in 1964 to chase a career in the entertainment industry, he sustained a scar on his chin. One morning while he was heading to work at Bullock’s department store, he discovered he had forgotten to put on his seat belt.
Ford lost control of the vehicle as he fumbled for it, ran off the road, and hit a telephone pole. Ford’s chin smacked on the steering wheel, and he subsequently went through the windscreen as a result of the severity of the collision.
ACTORS WHO LANDED ROLES BECAUSE OF THEIR SCARS
Many famous actors, including Flanagan, have sad and distinct scars that have played an important part in their careers.
Sean Bean is one of these famous actors. In an unfortunate event, Harrison Ford accidentally struck Bean in the face with a boat hook, leaving him with a scar. They were filming the scene where Bean dies in Patriot Games from 1992.
There is, however, a silver lining to this cloudy situation. Since Bean now appeared much gruffer than before, he was cast in the role of Sharpe by virtue of his scar. The scar also added nuance and a world-weariness to Bean’s portrayals of Boromir and Odysseus in The Lord of the Rings and Troy, respectively.
Michael K. Williams
Rather than a traditional birthday present, Michael K. Williams received a disguise when he turned 25. In a scuffle just outside the pub from which Williams and his pals barely survived with their lives, one of his attackers slashed the actor across the face with a razor. But after that, things shifted dramatically. Instead of only dancing in music videos, filmmakers began to request that he play thug roles in movies. After some time, his new image began to catch the eye of those in the film and television business. Even though he had to endure a horrible experience to earn his scar, it was essential in Williams’ subsequent acting career. In 1996, Tupac Shakur stumbled upon a Polaroid photo of the actor, which was kept in the office of the production company where he had auditioned. He saw Williams and decided he should be in his upcoming picture, Bullet. The high point of Williams’ career came in 2002, when he starred as Omar Little, a trench coat-wearing stickup man, on HBO’s The Wire.
Jason Momoa
In 2008, Momoa suffered the scar that now spans his entire left eyebrow. He was injured when a man smashed a pint glass over his head in a Hollywood pub. In the course of the actor’s reconstructive surgery, he required 140 stitches. Meanwhile, the man who attacked Momoa received a five-year term.
Jason Momoa’s portrayal of the powerful Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones was a masterstroke. Momoa’s scar was a perfect match for both roles because they are meant for the manliest men, whose lives centre on battle, domination, and honour. In addition to his great physicality, the scar made him the embodiment of the absolute person for those roles.
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