Home / Arts and Entertainment / Hunger Games Star Sam Claflin Confronts His Deepest Fears on Screen
Hunger Games Star Sam Claflin Confronts His Deepest Fears on Screen
22 Oct, 2025
Summary
- Sam Claflin's latest role as a grieving psychiatrist allowed him to be his authentic self
- Claflin has spent much of his career "hiding behind masks" but this role led to a "spiritual awakening"
- Claflin is approaching his 40th birthday and says the role has helped him address issues in his life
In the past year, English actor Sam Claflin has experienced a series of breakthroughs, both professionally and personally. The 39-year-old, best known for his role as Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, has been working nonstop since his breakout over a decade ago. However, his latest role as grieving psychiatrist Joel Lazarus in Harlan Coben's Lazarus has offered him the chance to do something he's never done before: be himself.
Claflin admits that for much of his career, he's been "hiding behind different masks" and "not really understanding who I am." But the making of this series has allowed him to dig deeper and open up about his emotions. "I've definitely opened myself up a lot more to how I feel, and not needing or wanting everyone to like me anymore," he says.
