Sam Claflin revealed on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Places podcast (via The Independent) that his acting roles in Hollywood exacerbated his body dysmorphic disorder, which meant he often appeared shirtless on screen. Claflin is best known for his role as Finnick O’Dea in the Hunger Games series, including Catching Fire. He made his film debut in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
“A lot of the roles I played early in my career…I had a topless scene in my first movie, and it wasn’t in the script, so I was told a week in advance that I was going to be shirtless,” Claflin said. “I was like, ‘Damn, I don’t exercise, what am I going to do?'” This was my first introduction to the world. ”
“I’m incredibly anxious,” Claflin said at the beginning of the chat. “I just went to a screening of a movie that I was in, and right after that everyone was asking me, ‘How was it?'” And (I thought) “I hated it.” What I hate is my face. ”When I got cast in “Pirates,” I thought, “What the hell am I doing here?” ‘ I thought. ”
The actor previously told the Telegraph in 2025: “There’s an assumption in Hollywood that it’s men with six packs who sell movies. So there was pressure on me to look like this. As a result, I developed a form of body dysmorphia. It wasn’t a full-blown eating disorder and I’m not blaming anyone but myself, but it was definitely the industry that I was in.”
Expanding on the topic with Cotton on a recent podcast episode, Claflin said, “I’ve been affected a lot by[Body Dysmorphic Disorder]. I can say most guys have, but I can say it’s been pretty bad for me… It’s a real struggle. It’s like a daily battle. I’m very affected by what other people think and whether they think I look good or am a nice person.”
After breaking out in Hollywood with major studio franchises including “Snow White and the Huntsman,” Claflin starred in the romance film “Me Before You” and several independent films including “The Finest” and “Adrift.” He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance as Billy Dunn in the 2023 Hulu series “Daisy Jones and the Six.”
You can watch Claflin’s full interview on the podcast “Happy Place” in the video below.
