Hunger Games alum Sam Claflin wishes he had an accent coach on Catching Fire
"I fucking needed one," Claflin shares in a new interview. "I look back and listen to myself like, ‘God, that’s terrible.’”
Aux News Sam Claflin
It’s been nearly a decade since the world was introduced to Sam Claflin as the brawny, trident-wielding tribute Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Only his third major motion picture role, playing Finnick required the British Claflin to turn on a certain all-American swagger, accent included. When he rewatches the final product today, Claflin shares, he gets stuck on one “if only” about the experience—Claflin really wishes he’d had an onset accent coach.
“I didn’t have an accent coach in Hunger Games, and I fucking needed one,” the Daisy Jones & The Six star laments to Variety’s Katcy Stephan in a new conversation. “I look back and listen to myself like, ‘God, that’s terrible.’”
At the time, trying on an American accent wasn’t the only new frontier Claflin had to navigate. Taking on a character with as much raw hunky charisma—and as devoted a group of stans—as Finnick had Claflin, as he puts it, “shitting myself.” If the pressure weren’t high enough already, playing Finnick also required Claflin to take on his first-ever shirtless scene.
Now, years later in his career, Claflin says he feels “a little more confident in myself and comfortable in myself.” That’s a major asset, given that Claflin’s next star turn sees him not only talking, but singing, in an American accent. Oh, and he had to learn guitar too. Claflin stars alongside Riley Keough in Prime Video’s upcoming musical series Daisy Jones & The Six, which charts the rise (and descent into love triangle-fueled chaos) of a Fleetwood Mac-esque rock band in the 1970s.
According to Claflin, the prospect of learning guitar especially had him, yet again, “shit scared.” But taking on the role of volatile frontman Billy Dunne offered Claflin an opportunity to expand his craft, and maybe even usher in a new era in his career.
“I wanted to prove to myself that I could do things that are different and out of the box. I hoped that a few people would watch and think, ‘Oh, wow. Actually, he’s not just this guy,’” Claflin shares. “Now, especially — I’m not 23 with a six-pack and on the up-and-coming list anymore. I’m the older guy.”
Daisy Jones & The Six premieres on Prime Video on March 3.
5 Comments
Nothing against him, but why didn’t they just cast an American in the Catching Fire role? If the role doesn’t need a name, then why hire a hunky nobody with the wrong accent when there’s surely plenty of handsome nobodies with the right accent to choose from?
My thoughts exactly, did nobody else show to read for the role or did he manage to convince the casting director he could do a better American accent with practice or something?
…I did not know he was doing an American accent. Thought it was some weird regional future dialect.
He did the same “swallow your fricatives” (Ds and Ts) thing that Robert Pattinson did in Twilight. “I’m on a special thieth” (instead of diet). I think they all study the same YouTube video or something 🙂
Wait until a few years from now when he finds out that he was just in a show about a band and not really in a band and didn’t need to actually have to learn how to play guitar!