Hunger Games: The Actors Who Almost Played Finnick Odair
Before Sam Claflin was cast as Finnick in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the actor was forced to beat out a mix of young talent and rising stars.
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Before Sam Claflin portrayed the fan-favorite character Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games, a number of other prominent actors were in the running. The popular book trilogy by Suzanne Collins was adapted into four feature films that spanned from 2012 to 2015. Finnick was introduced in 2013’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire as a participant in the 75th Hunger Games event, known as the Third Quarter Quell. Collins has since expanded the fictional dystopian universe with the release of a prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Adapting the story for a movie is already a priority at Lionsgate but Claflin and the original cast will be absent from the project since it’s set decades prior to the original story.
Finnick was the male tribute from District 4 that was forced into participating in the Third Quarter Quell, an event that featured past winners. The Panem resident – in his mid-twenties in the films – won the Hunger Games when he was just 14 years old. In time, Finnick became one of the most popular tributes among the Capitol due to his good looks and confidence. When Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark first met Finnick, they were reluctant to use him as an ally. Little did they know, Finnick was in on the escape plan and the impending rebellion against President Snow. Finnick was one of the lone people that Katniss was able to trust throughout the franchise. After reuniting with the love of his life, Annie, Finnick was killed during the mission to kill Snow. His legacy lived on through the birth of his son, who was born after the tragic event.
Before the release of Catching Fire, Claflin was known for appearing in The Pillars of the Earth and Any Human Heart. He then rose to prominence with roles in big-budget films like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Snow White and the Huntsman, the latter of which debuted the same year as the first Hunger Games film. Due to the popularity, acquiring a role in the sequel was on the mind of many actors. Finnick’s role was especially sought after considering his growing involvement. Besides Claflin, other actors who considered included Hunter Parrish, Grant Gustin, and Luke Mitchell. A handful of others got further in the process.
Three Other Actors Made It To The Final Round To Portray Finnick
A trio of actors was said to have made it to the final round of the auditioning process when casting was taking place in 2012. Among them were Taylor Kitsch, Armie Hammer, and Garrett Hedlund; it’s unclear how far Gustin got in the audition process, but it didn’t matter since, around that time, he joined Glee and then later, The Flash. All three of the actors were on the rise with hefty experience in TV and film. More than anything, the names mentioned fit the physical description that the movie was searching for. As the rumors began to spread, Claflin’s name was left out to the point that he didn’t believe he was on any kind of shortlist.
Claflin didn’t have much hope when he went for his audition but that lack of confidence may have worked to his advantage. Finnick was a very complicated character, known for his own insecurities. Director Francis Lawrence instantly viewed Claflin as the Hunger Games’ live-action version of Finnick; the names previously under consideration were then pushed aside. Finnick may have met a grim fate but it didn’t diminish Claflin’s role in the franchise.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/hunger-games-movies-finnick-actors-almost-cast/