A photo of Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley sporting a full-facial moko for his portrayal of a science fiction hero has been released.
Kingsley will play the half-Maori war hero Mazer Rackham in the upcoming sci-fi epic Ender's Game.
A Maori tribal expert worked with the actor, and explained the significance of the moko as a historic record.
"Every gesture in the tattoo carries family history, family struggles - it's your past," Kingsley told Entertainment Weekly. "I was so enthralled. He [Rackham] is in quite a contained, stylised uniform but then this wonderful face tells his warrior history."
The film, which is written and directed by Gavin Hood, is based on American author Orson Scott Card's 1980s bestselling novel.
