The Hunger Games Star Regrets “Terrible” Accents, Thinks Character “Deserved Better”

It’s been ten years since Sam Claflin portrayed the fan favorite Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and looking back, the actor has a few regrets. In an interview with Variety, Claflin shared how much he loved the character, but that he wishes he could go back and redo aspects of his performance and that Finnick “deserved better — especially when it comes to the character’s fate.

“I read the books, but I was obsessed with Katniss. Also, Peeta’s journey, getting completely brainwashed and then having to overcome that like that,” Claflin said. “That was so electric. Everyone’s always like, ‘Finnick’s my favorite character.’ Don’t get me wrong — I f-cking loved him as well.”

“At the time I was sh-tting myself — the first topless scene I’ve ever done, you know? Oh, my god.” he continued, speaking about his performance. “Also, I didn’t have an accent coach in Hunger Games, and I f-cking needed one. I look back and listen to myself like, ‘God, that’s terrible.’”

Ultimately, while Claflin has grown as an actor — he will next appear in Prime Video’s Daisy Jones & The Six — he still has fond thoughts about Finnick, even though he feels the character deserved a better fate than being killed during the rebellion.

“I think Finnick deserved better,” he said. “But I think he did the right thing. He’s a good guy, sacrificing himself for the cause.”

What is Daisy Jones & The Six about?

In Daisy Jones & The Six, in 1977, Daisy Jones & The Six were on top of the world. Fronted by two charismatic lead singers – Daisy Jones (Keough) and Billy Dunne (Claflin) – the band had risen from obscurity to fame. And then, after a sold-out show at Chicago’s Soldier Field, they called it quits. Now, decades later, the band members finally agree to reveal the truth. This is the story of how an iconic band imploded at the height of its powers.

The series also stars Suki Waterhouse as Karen, Josh Whitehouse as Eddie, Sebastian Chacon, as Warren, Nabiyah Be as Simone Jackson, and Tom Wright as Teddy Price, with Timothy Olyphant guest-starring as Rod Reyes.

Daisy Jones and the Six will premiere on Prime Video on Friday, March 3rd, with new episodes arriving through March 24th. A Hunger Games prequel film, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, will open in theaters November 17th.