The Hunger Games Star Sam Claflin Admits Hollywood’s Shirtless Pressure Fueled Body Struggles
Sam Claflin has opened up about how his Hollywood roles worsened his body dysmorphia, especially when scenes required him to appear shirtless. The Hunger Games star discussed his struggles on Fearne Cotton’s podcast Happy Place, as reported by The Independent.
Claflin, 34, is best known for playing Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and its sequels. He made his film debut in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and has since starred in big studio films like Snow White and the Huntsman, as well as romantic dramas like Me Before You and indie projects including Their Finest and Adrift. His role as Billy Dunne in Hulu’s 2023 series Daisy Jones & the Six earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
The actor explained that some of his earliest on-screen experiences were shocking. “A lot of the roles I played earlier on in my career… I had a topless scene in one of my first movies, but it wasn’t in the script and I got told a week before they were going to [take] my top off,” he said. “I was like, ‘Shit, I haven’t been working out, what am I going to do?’ This is my first introduction to the world.”
Claflin said insecurity has been a constant for him. “I’m incredibly insecure. I just went to a screening of a film I was in and everyone immediately afterwards [asked], ‘How was it?’ And [I was like,] ‘I hated it.’ It’s my face I don’t like [it]. When I was cast in ‘Pirates,’ I thought: ‘What on earth am I doing here?’”
The star has previously told The Telegraph that Hollywood’s focus on male actors’ bodies contributed to his struggles. “There’s this Hollywood assumption that it’s the men with the six packs who sell the movie. So there was a pressure that was what I needed to look like. As a result, I developed a form of body dysmorphia. It wasn’t quite an eating disorder, and I’m not blaming anyone but myself, but it was definitely because of the industry I’m in,” he explained.
On the Happy Place podcast, Claflin said his body image issues are a daily struggle. “I’ve been massively affected [by body dysmorphia]. I’d say most guys are, but I would say mine got quite bad… It’s a real struggle. It’s like an everyday struggle. I am massively impacted by what other people think and if they think I look good or am a nice person.”
Claflin’s honesty sheds light on the pressures actors face to maintain a certain look on screen, particularly when roles require them to appear physically perfect. For men in Hollywood, these expectations can lead to long-term struggles with self-image.
Sam Claflin speaking openly about his experience is important. It shows that body image pressures affect men just as much as women in Hollywood, and it encourages a more realistic conversation about mental health and self-esteem in the film industry. What do you think about the pressures actors face in Hollywood? Share your thoughts in the comments.
