Weapons raised, fear takes over and instantly everything calms as his hand shoots up with a golden bangle and an ornery grin, “Good thing we’re allies, right?”
I have loved Finnick Odair since the moment he asked Katniss for a sugar cube. You know what made me love him even more? The way Sam Claflin portrays him in the book adaptation of “Catching Fire.” The scene I described above is a standout moment that I love from “Catching Fire” because of the way Claflin acts it out.
Sam Claflin is the type of actor that lets his facial reactions say everything, especially his eyes. When Claflin steps into a role, he ceases to exist and that character becomes reality. When I watch him I can’t even tell he’s acting; everything he does feels so real and genuine. Claflin gives viewers a new perspective on Finnick. The book obviously talks about Finnick’s hardships and we later are told of how caring Finnick Odair actually is, but Claflin does such a good job showing it. We see hints of who he is under his armor shining through his eyes, giving audiences hints to his true nature.
Finnick is perceived as the capital’s darling who is cocky, confident and the deadliest tribute if he has his trident. However, Claflin exposes Finnick’s “human” side when we see him fight so desperately to save Mags from the poisonous fog. While watching the movie, I felt so desperate just hoping he would save her and I felt like that because of his acting.
Claflin is literally running away from this “deadly fog” that isn’t real, but you wouldn’t question that by the way he acts. He is pleading with Mags as he tries to save her, he genuinely seems so afraid and he sounds like he is in horrible pain. I don’t know how someone can sound so afraid and wounded when he is in no danger.
That’s just one example. Another would be in “Mockingjay” when Peeta is dropped off with Katniss and her unit during the war. Everyone is so offended and mad, but not Finnick. Claflin’s eyes are filled with concern and sincerity. He defends Peeta to the group and sits with him. He never once treats him like a “capital mutt.” When he addressed Peeta, he always spoke softly and calmly while looking directly at him.
One of the most pointed out moments of Claflin’s acting is in Amazon Prime’s new show “Daisy Jones & The Six.”
There’s a scene where Claflin, playing Billy Dunne, is looking at Daisy Jones as she’s recording, “More Fun to Miss.” They were fighting as she was trying to record it, so they went out back, confronted each other, made up and came back in. As Daisy was singing, the camera pans to Claflin who’s face subtly shifts, but just enough to go from frustrated to impressed, almost like he’s proud. It’s incredible acting. It’s so subtle and slow, but it’s well done.
My favorite scene of “Daisy Jones & The Six” is during the final performance in Chicago, the band is playing “More Fun to Miss” and he gets so close to Daisy. He doesn’t take his eyes off of her, he stands so close, he shares the microphone with her it’s almost like they are going to just start making out right there.
I actually think Billy Dunne is one of Claflin’s best roles. Claflin does such a good job at acting by reactions in this show. You always know what he’s thinking. Is he feeling vulnerable? His face is relaxed with his eyes focused on the other person. Is he angry? His lips are pressed and tight.
I know he takes his roles seriously because when he played Finnick, he actually did combat training with a trident. For his role as Billy Dunne he learned how to play guitar and had vocal lessons. His performances on stage as Billy were so freaking good.
Not once have I watched Claflin and felt embarrassed, cringe, or pulled away because I could tell he was acting. I have seen Claflin in many roles and each one is so perfectly executed. You know he has range because he is in dystopian movies, romance movies, dramas, action and a ‘70s rock drama.
I would recommend “Catching Fire,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Me Before You” and “Daisy Jones & The Six.”
He is one of the greatest actors of this generation. Sam Claflin stops existing when he steps into a role and for the duration of that film or series his character is real. I truly believe he puts everything he has into his roles and can’t imagine anyone else in his place.