Why ‘Poor Things’ Actress Kathryn Hunter Was Covered in ‘Mad and Wonderful’ Tattoos | Exclusive Photos

If the body is a temple, Sylvia Plath said, then tattoos are the stained-glass windows.

While working on “Poor Things,” actress Kathryn Hunter discovered first-hand how one’s tattoos can tell a whole life story. Hunter, well known as Syril Karn’s mom on “Andor,” Arabella Fig in the “Harry Potter” franchise and as the Witches in Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” appears onscreen midway through “Poor Things” as brothel owner Madame Swiney, who befriends Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), offering employment and philosophical advice.

In one scene, Swiney is wearing a corset and reveals nearly a whole body of ink and artwork.