Saturday Night Live: 30 scandals and secrets you didn’t know
By Jeremy Dick
20. David Spade gets a real tattoo for a throwaway sketch
Sketch comedy shows like Saturday Night Live don’t really call for method acting. The skits are only meant to be humorous and fun live performances, and occasional screw-ups can even add to the comedy sometimes. But David Spade definitely went the extra mile to add realism to one of his sketches.
One skit saw famous actor Sean Penn giving a “tattoo” to Spade. It was a drawing of Calvin from the newspaper strip Calvin and Hobbes. The segment is, for all intents and purposes, very forgettable. But interestingly enough, that tattoo is real— Penn literally tattooed Calvin on Spade’s body for the sake of a skit. It’s really not all that funny of a joke, so you certainly have to question if this was worth it.
Originally, Spade agreed to be tattooed, desiring a Stephen Tyler inspired drawing. Unfortunately, Penn wasn’t able to easily recreate the picture, so it couldn’t be used. At the last minute, the idea came to just draw Calvin from the comic strip. And now, as a result, Spade gets to see a drawing of a cartoon character, put on his body by Sean Penn, every time he looks in the mirror.