Cast and crew from the boxing crime drama Salvable have immortalized their time filming in Barry, south Wales, with tattoos from a local parlour. The production, starring Transformers actor Shia LaBeouf and filmed across the Vale of Glamorgan in 2023, was recently released.
While LaBeouf himself declined the offer, saying he’s saving space for tattoos of his daughter’s drawings, other cast and crew embraced the opportunity. Actor Michael Socha, known for This Is England, was among those who received free tattoos from Tattorana, a Barry-based studio.
Local tattooist Bianca Oliveira, 28, offered the free ink after hearing about the filming near her shop. “At first they laughed it off, but the next day several of them turned up,” she said. Directors Bjorn Franklin and Johnny Marchetta, along with the costume designer, also got tattooed.
The production then used the street outside Tattorana as a filming location and the shop itself as a base, allowing Bianca to fit in tattoo sessions between shoots. “It was surreal,” she said, recalling tattooing Socha, who chose the word rebel for his ribs, saying: “I’m a rebel.”
LaBeouf, while not getting tattooed, was often seen mingling with locals, taking selfies, and watching the tattoo sessions. “Shia was just walking around, watching me tattoo. I was nervous, but once I started, I went into work mode,” Bianca said.
Salvable follows a small-town boxer, played by Toby Kebbell (Planet of the Apes), as he struggles with his past and a fractured relationship with his daughter. LaBeouf portrays an old friend and negative influence in the gritty drama, which showcases the rugged seaside charm of Barry and Penarth.
The film adds to Barry’s growing reputation as a filming hotspot, following productions like Netflix’s Havoc with Tom Hardy and the BBC’s Gavin and Stacey.
In a final nod to their time in Barry, the crew enjoyed local fish and chips from Fryer Tuck, while a can of diet coke sipped by LaBeouf now serves as a quirky souvenir at Tattorana.
Bianca, whose shop has since gained local fame, reflected: “For a small town, Barry’s pretty big.”
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