i think it automatically type-casts an actor. having a few here and there, like johnny depp, isnt such a hindrance. you'd actually be surprised at how many actors have tattoos. however, the world is still stupid, judgemental, and closed-minded, so people with serious ink such as a sleeve, backpiece, or god forbid a neck tattoo, continue to be put in preconceived character types. im excited that things are opening up for us, though, as it is now commonplace to see people with a sprinkling of ink here and there, like you mentioned jesse metcalfe, who found fame with the over 40 rich high society crowd thru his part on desperate housewives, and is now bringing some quasi-serious ink, thus, with those fans pre-existing penchant for all things metcalfe, making it more acceptable in mainstream society. also, shows like miami, l.a., and london ink, whos main fan base is real desperate housewives who live vicariously thru the bad ass chicks on the television. in movies, though, i dont think heavily tattooed people will ever become leading-role actors in all types of film (i just dont see hugh grant-style romantic comedies starring the lizardman happening any time soon) and i dont know if it should. as a director, you would want to portray a certian setting, vibe, character personality, and your own little on-screen world, and to be quite honest, heavily tattooed people are not the proper choice every time. sure, it would be cool as hell, but Juno would NOT have worked had the leading lady been a suicide girl. get my drift??
