Give Sam Claflin a romantic role — like the sentimental part he played in Me Before You — and audiences will fall in love all over again. But make no mistake, he’s not particularly one to typecast. When he was playing the dashing but selfless Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games, his sexy performance earned him not one, but two award nominations. And when he crossed over to the dark side as the upper-class Oswald Mosley in Peaky Blinders, he delivered a spine-chilling performance that was anything but normal.
Over and over, Claflin has proven that he‘s no one-trick pony. From romance to rebellion, from period dramas to thrillers, he‘s acted in a wide range of roles with ease. While Finnick is probably one of his more iconic roles, it‘s hardly his sole standout. His filmography brims over with gems highlighting his emotional range, screen presence, and raw talent. These 10 films and series don‘t simply demonstrate his versatility, and they‘re evidence that Claflin is a leading man worth believing in.
1. ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ (2013)
Sam Claflin’s first shot at playing Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire didn’t just stick the landing, it stole the whole show. Sure, he came back for Mockingjay Part 1 and Mockingjay Part 2, and there’s no doubt that he crushed those, too. But there’s something special about that first one that struck differently. Introduced in 2013, Catching Fire showed us Claflin at his most incandescent — he was charming, mysterious, and carrying around a secret weight that made Finnick so much more than a Capitol hunk. It was the kind of breakout performance that had viewers Googling him mid-film.
The story picks up with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) reeling from having survived the 74th Hunger Games. Then enters Finnick, the District 4 golden boy and winner of the 64th Games. On paper, he’s just another tribute, but on screen, Claflin made him unforgettable. He added swagger and heart, making Finnick a crowd favorite and proving that he could stand toe to toe with the movie’s leads. The Mockingjay films kept the momentum going, but Catching Fire is where it all came together, for the character and Claflin’s star status.
2. ‘Me Before You’ (2016)
In Me Before You, Sam Claflin traded swords and rebel battles for something more subdued but equally potent — emotion. This time around, he stepped into the shoes of Will Traynor, an active sportsman and affluent banker whose existence is turned upside down after a horrific accident leaves him tetraplegic. Enter Emilia Clarke‘s Louisa “Lou” Clark, a quirky, compassionate caregiver who winds up doing a great deal more than her job description. At first, Will is closed off, bitter, sarcastic, and perfectly justified in being angry at the world. But Lou, with her loud clothes and even louder personality, slowly coaxes him out of his shell. What begins as work becomes a tender, sloppy love affair neither of them anticipated.
Claflin serves up the type of performance that’s both subtle and rich. His chemistry with Clarke is lightning in a bottle, and together they elevate the film beyond just another tearjerker. Me Before You is not a love story, rather it’s a tale about agency, dignity, and determining what brings you joy, even when the solutions are difficult. Claflin’s work is multifaceted, subtle, and one of the reasons this film still inspires debate and love years later.
3. ‘Love, Rosie’ (2014)
Sam Claflin once again proves that he’s a low-key god when it comes to romantic leads. He’s got charm in spades — the kind that just slips in so naturally, no matter who he’s working with. As Alex Stewart in Love, Rosie, he’s the best friend who eventually becomes Rosie Dunne’s (Lily Collins) love interest. All in all, it’s a testament to the fact that the friend zone isn’t always the end zone. Claflin finds just the right mix of warmth, humor, and principle in the role, making Alex a guy you can’t help but root for. Even when it gets messy — blown chances, wrong timing, messy lives — he makes you believe love is still worth waiting for.
Lily Collins, for her part, delivers a breakout performance that fans already consider one of her best to date. And you can’t help but wonder if some of that magic wasn’t rubbing off from sharing scenes with Claflin. Together, they share the sort of chemistry that makes you laugh, sigh, and occasionally scream at the screen. At its core, Love, Rosie is a story about friendship, distance, and life getting in the way — until it doesn’t. And Claflin? He handles it all with the kind of quiet confidence that makes romantic chaos look good.
4. ‘The Nightingale’ (2018)
This role is a far cry from Sam Claflin’s usual charming heartthrobs — but no less captivating for it. In fact, it may be one of his most chilling performances yet. Set in 1825 in colonial Australia, The Nightingale substitutes revolution and romance with brutal, feral survival. Claflin plays Lieutenant Hawkins, an unforgiving officer whose cruelty leaves a trail of destruction — and one woman bent on vengeance.
Her name is Clare (Aisling Franciosi), a captive whose trauma and pain at the hands of the Black War fuel a relentless search for revenge. With a guide scarred himself, she travels through unforgiving terrain to confront the man who ruined her life. That man, of course, is Claflin’s Hawkins, and his brutal menace is so agonizingly real. He doesn‘t just play the villain, he embodies him, earning every shred of the audience‘s contempt and solidifying his range as an actor.
5. ‘Enola Holmes’ (2020)
Some movie spinoffs manage to stand out, almost as much as the originals. Enola Holmes is most definitely one of those. The narrative itself is about Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister, Enola, played by Millie Bobby Brown, then there’s Henry Cavill and Sam Claflin who play her older brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes.
Set in 1884 England, the film opens with a shocking tragedy on Enola’s 16th birthday: her mother disappears without explanation. That sets the stage for a life of defiance, intrigue, and sass. Instead of going to finishing school as Mycroft demands, Enola takes matters into her own hands and sets out to hunt down her mother. It’s her world now, and she’s the boss. While Claflin is near perfect as the straight-laced, rule-follower Mycroft, he did not return for the sequel, which came out in 2022. Still, his performance in the first film established the Holmes brothers dynamic, creating just the right degree of tension, tradition, and superiority to the mix.
6. ‘Peaky Blinders’ (2013-2022)
Oswald Mosley garnered tons of titles in Peaky Blinders, while Sam Claflin got the accolades. He joined the series in 2019 for Seasons 5 and 6, instantly raising the stakes as the sharply dressed, cold-blooded villain. Nicknamed ‘The Devil.’ All in all, Mosley was dead set on crushing the notorious Peaky Blinders.
The show follows the Shelby family — a gang of war-hardened rogues who literally sew razors into their hats and stir up all sorts of chaos. At the center is Thomas Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy, whose grip on the streets is matched only by his ambition. Enter Mosley, the head of the British Union of Fascists, who sees the Shelbys as a threat to his grand political vision. Claflin’s chilling performance proved he’s not just a romantic lead; he’s got the edge and range to play devils, too.
7. ‘Adrift’ (2018)
Another swoony love story with a gut-punch of an ending, Adrift pairs Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin as real-life couple Tami Oldham and Richard Sharp. Based on true events of 1983, the film follows their whirlwind relationship and sailing adventure that becomes a deadly ride once they‘re hit by a life-threatening hurricane. Richard is badly injured, and it‘s up to Tami to save them both as they float aimlessly.
What follows is an emotional rollercoaster, filled with chemistry (which Claflin delivers with clockwork efficiency) and supported by survival instincts. The ending is heart-wrenching, a reminder that not all love stories have the couple sail off into a sunset. Sometimes, the characters cling to the wreckage and keep going.
8. ‘My Cousin Rachel’ (2017)
My Cousin Rachel starts out as a revenge story that’s as icy as they come, but it slowly spirals into a dizzying narrative steeped in obsession. Sam Claflin plays Philip, an orphan raised by his older cousin Ambrose. When Ambrose dies under mysterious circumstances, Philip blames his cousin’s new wife and sets out to make her pay.
But Rachel (played by the ever-inscrutable Rachel Weisz) is not so easily villainized. Her beauty, poise, and carefully modulated mystery utterly derail Philip. Before long, his icy resolve melts into desire. What was to be an intellectual takedown becomes a slow burn of passion and psychological suspense. Philip, utterly obsessed, finds himself believing in her and handing over his heart and wealth in the process.
9. ‘Their Finest’ (2016)
Sam Claflin teams up with Gemma Arterton (who plays Catrin Cole) in a romantic, war movie. He plays Tom Buckley, a screenwriter helping to develop a morale-boosting movie on the Dunkirk evacuation. It is a movie-within-a-movie, and Claflin nails the mix of charm, wit, and unspoken longing to a tee.
As the cast and crew labor to weave hope from confusion, Tom and Catrin slowly begin to fall in love. There’s only one problem — she’s married. That twist of events adds tension to their undeniable chemistry. Even though Arterton was the lead here, Claflin didn’t just support her role, he anchored it with heart and humor.
10. ‘Journey’s End’ (2017)
There are plenty of World War films out there, but Journey’s End hits differently — and that’s partly due to Sam Claflin’s unflinching performance. He plays Captain Stanhope, a former self-assured officer who is now disintegrating at the fringes. War has taken its toll on him, and Stanhope’s courage is accompanied by booze, anger, and repressed trauma.
Set in 1917, at the threshold of a German attack on British lines, the film doesn’t hold back. It captures the still fear, the shattered brotherhood, and the emotional desolation of men expecting disaster. There is tension lurking behind every silence and heartache within every word. Claflin does not just act here, he bleeds. In short, he’s the gut-punch that makes it all land.
