Sam Claflin on The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence & Social Media in The Guardian

Sam Claflin is featured in a new fashion shoot and interview with The Guardian. In the interview Sam touched on everything from filming The Hunger Games movies to social media and Jennifer Lawrence's fame. 

On Mockingjay Part 2:

"Yeah, we had a refresher screening the other day, which was helpful. Before that I couldn’t really remember who I played or what I said,” he jokes. “But I think it’s a great climax to the series. It feels like the end of an era. I was sad to see it end, but also happy."

On filming The Hunger Games movies:

"It was a bit like being on holiday with your friends. A lot of the time I was just running around Hawaii with Jen and Josh [Hutcherson] and Lynn Cohen." 

On the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman:

“I probably shouldn’t talk about it much,” says Claflin. “But it hit us all very hard. It was very unexpected, very sad. He was not only a hero to millions, but a personal hero of mine. The way he did something with every role. It’s so upsetting that you’ll never see him in a new film.” 

On the loneliness of filming:

“I’ve definitely experienced the loneliness of the job. During the first Hunger Games we were out in Atlanta for six months. I was in a hotel, and all I had for company was a box set of Friends. In a way it was helpful that I had to be in such good shape: for months my routine went gym-chicken-bed-gym-chicken-bed-work, repeat.”

On his casting as Finnick Odair:

“You read the books and my character’s meant to look like a kind of Greek god. I wouldn’t have cast me: a pale, English, overweight, stubbled kid. I like a beer and a burger. I got nominated for a ‘Best topless scene’ against Zac Efron. I mean, how am I going to compete with Zac Efron?”

On Jennifer Lawrence and social media:

“Jen, bless her, puts up with a lot. It’s frightening to see that kind of thing, the idea that you can’t have a private life. I keep a Twitter and Instagram page because I don’t want to invite people into my world too much. It’s my way of letting the fans think they are seeing my real life, but in reality I’m pushing them away.”

On social media and his responsibility to his younger fans:  

“A lot of my followers are at an age where they aren’t able to drink or get tattoos or anything, and there’s a duty to them that lots of people don’t pay attention to. For example I’m going to a mate’s house tonight, but I’m not going to tweet pictures of myself drunk. The music industry is so messed up – look at someone like Miley Cyrus, who is just sex and drugs. The thought that one day my kid might look up to someone like that is…” he trails off and shakes his head.

On being thought of as a heartthrob:

“I hate being offered heart-throb after heart-throb,” he says, only half-joking. “It is something that stresses me out about the industry that because you’ve done one part you can’t do any others – you want to say: ‘I act, you know. I can pretend.’