VIDEO: Sam Claflin on His 'Mockingjay' Annie Cresta, "Stef Dawson and I Are Like Best of Mates"

Sam Claflin recently told Digital Spy that he and his co-star Stef Dawson (who plays Finnick's love Annie Cresta) are, "like best of mates."

Sam Claflin bonded with his The Hunger Games: Mockingjay co-star Stef Dawson over Twitter before the pair became good friends.

"We got in touch via tweet immediately when the news broke," revealed Claflin, who will play District 4 tribute Finnick Odair opposite Dawson's Annie Cresta in the franchise's two-part finale.

"The moment she set foot on the Mockingjay set, the two of us are like best of mates. She's great."

Sam Claflin Featured in Marie Claire UK May Issue

Sam Claflin is featured in Marie Claire UK's May edition and he talks about his career, his wife Laura Haddock, and, of course, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay co-stars with whom he has, ‘probably too much fun.’

Transcript of the article and photo thanks to Sam Claflin Fans:

THERE’S A MOMENT ABOUT FIVE MINUTES INTO meeting Hunger Games star Sam Claflin where it feels less like a regular celebrity interview and more like a cathartic therapy session. Having begun a sentence with, ‘It hasn’t felt like my life has changed,’ Claflin starts to unravel. ‘I just feel very grown-up all of a sudden,’ he ponders, sinking into the sofa of a private lounge in a central London hotel.‘I have responsibilities. I have to take a few risks and there’s a lot more pressure on my shoulders now than there was a few years ago. I felt I could make a mistake and no one would care, whereas now people are starting to take note…’

Read more after the jump!

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Video: 'Catching Fire' Behind The Scenes - Sam Claflin Talks About Finnick's Journey

Get More: Sam Claflin, Donald Sutherland, Jeffrey Wright, Jena Malone, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Lawrence, Elizabeth Banks, Josh Hutcherson, Stanley Tucci, Movie Trailers, Celebrity News

In a new clip from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 9-part making-of documentary, "Surviving The Game" Sam Claflin talks about the journey Finnick Odair takes in the films.

Sam Claflin Posts Sleepless Selfie

Well, don't expect us to be too impressed (with ANYTHING else). We just saw Finnick Odair in his underwear. Ok, the actor who plays Finnick Odair, Sam Claflin, shirtless and sleepless is a hotel room somewhere, presumably. We're very sorry you can't sleep. But thanks for making our night by posting this adorable selfie to your twitter. And remember, we're madly in love with you as Finnick Odair, so feel free to post shirless selfies anytime you like.

Sam Claflin in SFX Magazine

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is reviewed in the February issue of SFX magazine, and there's also a tiny little interview with our Finnick, Sam Claflin included alongside the review. Check out what Sam had to say when he spoke with SFX's Tara Bennett:

What appealed to you about playing Finnick?

That I was playing a character where I would be physically in shape and challenged with the fighting side. Finnick is also so complex, having bad points and good points, so I get to portray a character you don't quite trust.

Was the physical preparation a big change to your daily routine? Yeah, I'm English so I like beer and Christmas dinner! But what's great about working on Finnick was I had no time to eat or drink, as I was literally in the gym. It was time-consuming in a good way.

Did the fan backlash at your casting get in your head? I have to admit I'm one of those people who read things on the internet about me being cast as Finnick. It spurred me on every time someone said, "He's so ugly! I'm going to hang myself!" The fact is it made me work harder to prove them wrong. I'd like to think a lot of people have changed their perception of this English kid getting the part.

[SPOILER ALERT!] In book three, Mockingjay, Finnick meets a nasty end. Worried about that bit? Yeah, there is that. I think my brother is very excited about that scene! I can't wait to get started on the next one, to get thrown into the mix again, and to work for Francis, who I see as a pure delight to work for. It's exciting times.

Sam Claflin and Jena Malone on GMA + 2 NEW clips!

Sam Claflin and Jena Malone stopped by GMA this morning to talk about The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. They talked about shooting the infamous sugar cube scene, Johanna's character, and introduced 2 new clips!

Fansite Exclusive: Sam Claflin and Jena Malone On 'Catching Fire'

One of the coolest things about being a fansite (ok, THE coolest, without a doubt) is that sometimes you get to have amazing experiences like the one we had yesterday morning. We were invited to an exclusive fansite phone interview with Sam Claflin (Finnick) and Jena Malone (Johanna) from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. We actually got to speak to them ON THE PHONE. And they were just as charming, funny and thoughtful as you would have hoped. These two care deeply about the characters that we love so much. Read on and see what your favorite fansites asked Jena and Sam and, more importantly, their insightful and hilarious answers. (deep lunges)

Oh, and NBD, but Sam and Jena sang Happy Birthday to our own Samantha at the end of the call. Whatever. (FANGIRL EXPLOSION)

PanemPropaganda.com:

When you were working on your roles, did you speak to anyone, or consider for yourself, what kind of background your characters had outside the Games? Things like family or friendships they may have had back in their Districts, and how did that affect the development of your characters?

Jena: Yeah! The book is SO rich, even though it doesn’t go into specifics about what these characters have gone through, you can pick through, and there are sentences that, really, for an actor, are goldmines. It’s like a doorway you go through, and there’s a whole house inside there. Suzanne Collins created stories that, I feel like as an actor, are like candy. There was so much to work with. And Francis was constantly providing us more information. Even just really understanding who these people were, giving us essays on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and all of these different things to research. I feel like we had so much to go in and paint with. It was kind of amazing.

Sam: Lynn Cohen, who plays Mags, and I spent a few weeks during the preparation time discussing our relationship, coming to the decision that she was more of a mother to Finnick. He was kind of an orphan, we decided. She was his mentor when he was in the Games, and everything that happened since, obviously, leading up to Catching Fire, her volunteering for Annie Cresta, etc. Finnick’s past and his history is mentioned in Mockingjay. There is a very, very dark history painted for him, and I got to talk that through, not only with Lynn Cohen, but with Francis, like Jena said, and everyone else as well. It was easy for me to sort of mold ideas.

There is SO much more of this interview after the jump. Please read on....

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Jennifer Lawrence and Sam Claflin Talk 'Catching Fire' With Teen Vogue

Image by Murray Close Jennifer Lawrence and Sam Claflin talk about training, filming Catching Fire in Hawaii, and dealing with fame and paparazzi in a hilarious, extended, online-only interview with Teen Vogue.

Jennifer, what did it feel like to revisit your character for the second time?
Jennifer Lawrence: It was kind of weird to go back because I had this idea when I first signed on to the franchise that it would get boring playing the same character. I've never done that—I've always played a brand new character. Katniss is the same character but in completely new circumstances. She's changed.

Was it important for you to set a certain tone on set as the leading lady?
JL: Yeah, I needed everyone to know I was in charge. (Laughs) I just wanted everyone to be comfortable. When there are new people, it can get awkward, but everyone was so great—including you, Sam.
Sam Claflin: I first bumped into you at stunt training. Your archery put me to shame. I was quite intimidated.
JL: By the sight of my face.
SC: Yea. It really put me off. (Laughs) No, obviously you are a good role model.

How will your characters interact with each other in the movie? You have a ... complicated relationship.
JL: Finnick is the most seductive man in the Capitol. At first Katniss is very put off by him, but the more she learns about him, the more she starts to understand and respect him. They become weird friends.
SC: He has charm and charisma going for him, but deep down he has insecurities, which overshadow his "external beauty."

Sam, Finnick has a very physical role. How did you train?
SC: I had quite the journey. If you read the description of Finnick in the book, then pin my face next to that, there's quite a long way to go.
JL: He was drastically overweight.
SC: I was definitely not in shape. There was a lot of training involved. Months and months of eating the same meals every day. Omelet in the morning, protein shake in the afternoon. The same routine of gym and stunt training. I'm happy with the end result. I did the best I could.
JL: You can't diet on these movies. It's impossible.
SC: It's pretty tough.

You shot most of the movie in Atlanta but the arena scenes took place in Oahu. How was Hawaii? JL: Oh, it was like a different movie. Try being stressed in Hawaii, I dare you.
SC: There's something about Hawaii where you step off the plane and you feel really chill. Spiritually, it was like a different film. The crew and cast were downsized and it felt more like a small family unit.
JL: We went swimming in between takes. We would go paddle boarding at lunch. It was amazing. But the scenes got a lot more intense. Things get terrifying.

There was a lot of paparazzi following you guys on this journey. Did that make it hard while you were filming intense scenes?
SC: They weren't around when we were doing scenes so much. It was worse during our downtime.
JL: I mean, paparazzi suck all the time. When you're working, it's distracting and when you're not working, it's annoying. I don't feel like anyone is entitled to know what we're doing on our weekends and for some reason, the world thinks they are. That's just how I feel.
SC: I was lucky. I didn't have to deal with it as much as her and Josh—partly because no one knows who I am. I'm lucky.

Jennifer, have you given Sam any advice?
JL: I told him that everything's going to change really fast. I haven't really stopped working, which has been exhausting, but also a blessing because I don't have time to think about it.
SC: I've had a very busy year thus far and when this film comes out, we'll be in the middle of shooting the next one! It's going to be another busy year.