Exclusive: 'Caprica' producer Jane Espenson explains Sam Adama's tattoos
Sasha Roiz plays the tattooed Sam Adama on Syfy's "Caprica." (Syfy photos)
Getting ready to play a
shirtless Sam Adama on Syfy's "Caprica" is no easy feat, Sasha Roiz told me during a recent trip to Chicago.
The actor who plays the Tauron assassin, awesome uncle and gay family man has to spend hours getting the make-up applied.
"Well, 2 ½ hours and like three or four makeup artists. So, I've got like six to eight sets of hands on me," he said, sometimes standing with his arms spread out. "It's a bit of an ordeal, but ... I just stand there and take it all."
Tattoo-prep for scenes when he's full clothed, which would be the art on his hands and neck, is about a half hour.
Roiz also told me that writer/producer Jane Espenson came up with an entire history of Sam's tattoos, which he said tell Sam's story as a Tauron and a member of the Ha'la'tha gang. Via e-mail Espenson has kindly shared the meaning of all of Sam's tatts, which you can read on the jump. Watch for my interview with Roiz and Alessandra Torresani later this week. And don't forget, "Caprica" returns with an all-new episode at 8 p.m. Friday on Syfy. (Sneak peek here!) Remember what Joseph asked Sam to do? (No? Click here.)
RIGHT HAND
These tatts indicate accomplishments, points of pride and skills.
- The "Tauron sun" on the back of his hand represents years in service. Each protruding line represents two years in the Ha'La'Tha--these seven lines means Sam's been in for 14 years. Obviously, a new line is added every two years.
- The two squares on Sam's right index finger indicate Tamara and Willie--children he has dedicated himself to. Ruth (Joseph's mother-in-law) would have many marks like this--for children and grandchildren and godchildren etc. She happens to wear these marks higher on her right arm, not on her hand--it doesn't make a difference.
- The "Tauron Bull" glyph on the middle finger says that Sam is an earner. This is bestowed on younger ha'la's by their immediate superior. A salesman or businessman would also have this mark.
- The star on the little finger represents skill with knives. Cooks and butchers bear the same mark somewhere on their right hand or arm.
LEFT HAND
These refer to Sam's mistakes and the punishments he's endured.
- The left hand is reserved for bad things--personal debits within the Ha'la'tha--failure, incurred debt, getting caught squealing. The delta there indicates that Sam has had only one major frak-up during his rise through the ranks. He's probably embarrassed by this hand, even though most mobsters have far more elaborate marks there. (Note that different mistakes will result in very different looking tatts on this hand, but they're always deficiencies.)
- If Sam had served time, he would also have a Tauron sun symbol on this hand and every line would represent two years in jail.
ARMS
The arm bands tell the stories of his successes (right arm) and his losses and setbacks (left arm). They change and grow as he adds to them.
- The swirl on both shoulders tells us he's been injured twice in the line of duty.
- The strange mark on his forearm tells us he fought in a war. In his case, a mob war or perhaps the revolution he witnessed as a child. He doesn't say which.
CHEST
- The radiating mark in his middle chest symbolizes his family. He places it at the center of his being.
- The other radiating mark commemorates Sam's 10th anniversary in the same job. (Um, as an assassin?)
- The large elements are a personal tribute to Mars, his patron God.
The letters across Sam's chest--Gamma, Delta, Phi, Psi, Omega, are the indicators that he took a teenaged pledge to be part of the Ha'La'Tha. They have to appear in that order anywhere on your body to create the pledge. They mean:
- Gamma: coming out of childhood;
- Delta: at risk of error;
- Phi: I take on this debt;
- Psi: on pledge of death;
- Omega: I marry myself to the Ha'La'Tha.
BACK
The tattoos on his mid-back are ones that he chose to indicate his skills. They're informative, but also decorative and each person gets a lot of liberty to choose which ones they want and to make alterations to the basic design. Unlike the marks on his hand that are very functional, these are matters of personal pride.
- Mid-back swirl indicates MUSICAL SKILL.
- Mid-back one that looks like stopwatch indicates DRIVING SKILL (the kind of stunt driving that high-level drivers of heads of state know).
- Mid-back hourglass tatt indicates SKILL WITH NUMBERS. Sam can calculate odds in his head with speed and accuracy.
NECK
- The Omega below Sam's ear tells us he's married. If Larry were to die, then the bottom opening would be closed--sealed, if you will.
- Under the right ear is a normal spot to display personal status, marriage, children, etc. The space under your left ear is reserved for indicating if you are born into a prominent family--a family crest if you will. Sam and Joe wouldn't have these as they were street rats, orphans. (This is probably where Vergis' tattoo would be. It's his family crest.)
- The bigger one represents his WORK STATUS. In Sam's case, this refers to his status within the Ha'la'tha. It is a compound tattoo with two major elements. The part shaped like an "h" tells us he's a person who has reached a major career goal. In Sam's case, this means he's a "made man." The smaller black addendum represents more recent accomplishments--each cross-bar and serif represents a different completed major assignment. We can add more ornate embellishments as he rises through the ranks. Any Tauron with a thriving career would have similar marks.
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7 Comments
PBMom said:
Do you know how much I would have given up to get this interview? Awesome job. I was SO curious about the meaning of all these markings after Sam told Willie that they told a story. Thank you, Jane, for sharing that with us. Thank you, Curt, for getting it out there.
Curt Wagner said:
I am happy to bring this info to you, PBMom, because I wanted to know as well! Thanks for reading.
Lisa Yimm said:
Great article. I love this kind of detailed back story, that gives depth and weight to the characters and helps to create a larger universe in which the show and it's characters exit. Thanks for following up with Jane about Sam's tattoos.
Curt Wagner said:
Thanks, and yes it's awesome that Jane E. and the other writers took the time to think so much about the characters they created and give them such a rich history. Thanks for reading.
Derek Martz said:
So, all Taurons have tattoos, not just mobsters?
Curt Wagner said:
I believe that tattoos are a tradition for Taurons, but not sure if they all have them (we haven't seen any on Joseph A. yet, have we?). But Jane does mention that Joseph's mother-in-law has the familial tatts. I think the mobsters have a whole lot more. Thanks for reading.
vbeeno said:
Wow thats incredible. Really good stuff.
Jess
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