Sam Claflin on 'Catching Fire' - "This saga occupies an important place in the hearts of millions of people."

In a new interview, Sam Claflin spoke with Italian magazine, Grazia, about 'Catching Fire,' Finnick Odair and his friendship with Jennifer Lawrence. And he finally REALLY confirmed the wedding! Congrats Sam and Laura!

He was chosen for one of the most coveted roles in Hollywood and still can't believe it. Sam Claflin will portray Finnick Odair, a key figure in three highly anticipated sequels of the The Hunger Games saga. Not bad for an actor who, in just three years of his career, has starred opposite Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz in Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides, and with Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman. Sam, 27, is perhaps the only movie star who blushes and lowers his eyes when he speaks about himself, however, he does not contain his excitement when we mention his marriage to actress Laura Haddock, one of the protagonists of the series tv Da Vinci's Demons.

We meet him in Los Angeles to talk about the new Hunger Games, and it's only been a week since the wedding. The British actor proudly shows his wedding ring: "I flew in from London for this interview, at the climax of the honeymoon!" He says. "But in the end, it is not so bad to stay a couple of days here in California, on the shores of the ocean."

GRAZIA: When you were chosen for the role of Finnick, the Hunger Games fans unleashed on the internet. Did you expect that?

Sam: "No, I had not the slightest idea of ​​what people were interested in for the casting of  the Hunger Games. Then I started to get messages on Twitter: many congratulations, some negative reactions, some even a little extreme. I was amazed: I discovered that this saga occupies an important place in the hearts of millions of people."

GRAZIA: The main reaction was: surprise ...

SAM: "I was the first to be surprised! Finnick is described in the books as a kind of divinity: he's beautiful, he's a great warrior ...

At the casting, before me, in came a guy, one of the most handsome men I've ever seen. At that point I thought I had no chance. Instead, I had myself underestimated the fact that we actors, by definition, we are able to transform according to the role."

GRAZIA: In fact, you put on a lot of muscle in no time. How did you do it?

SAM: "Chicken and asparagus for three months in a row and hours of daily training. I've always been an athlete, but not a fan of the gym, on the contrary, I always look for an excuse to avoid it ... Now we will shoot the two sequels of the film and for one whole year, I will not have the opportunity to avoid the daily training. My wife will be glad to see me in such good shape."

GRAZIA: What is Jennifer Lawrence like, the star of the "Hunger Games"? Did it go to her head since she won the Oscar?

SAM: "On the contrary, she's a very open girl and likes to make jokes all the time. Jennifer is amazing as an actress and as a person. In recent months she has become a great friend of mine. "

GRAZIA: So it's because you're friends that she said in an interview that you're a very attractive guy?

SAM: "Who, me? (Blushes) It is not true, it was a joke: it's a stereotype that Americans have of us Brits, they say that we talk in such a gracious way that it makes us sexy. I'm actually very shy. I get embarrassed even when someone I do not know starts a casual conversation with me in a store. My wife and I have recently bought a puppy, and when I walk her, it's a disaster: anyone who sees her, approaches, caresses her and starts to chat with me. In fact, look at how cute"(pulls out his phone and shows me the picture of the puppy)

Of course, when The Hunger Games: Catching Fire comes out this fall,  the fans are going to chase his autograph ... Perhaps, only then, Sam Claflin will understand that he has become a star.

For your information: His puppy's name is Rosie.

Thanks to our friends Sam Claflin Fans for the tip and the translation by Sam Claflin Italia!