That actor is...drum roll please (as if most of us don't already know!!)...
Over the past couple of weeks, Claflin had been very hotly tipped to have secured the role, and even though I try to avoid the rumours until they have been officially confirmed, I did find it difficult to avoid a lot of the "opinion" around the idea of Claflin taking the role, and I have to say that the majority of it was, erm, yes not very complimentary.
A great deal of the negativity towards this casting has been the idea (that I don't necessarily agree with) that Claflin is not "good looking" enough for the role of Finnick. Whilst I do agree that this is one of those roles where hiring someone good looking is relatively important, we should also remember that acting ability is also crucial for a role and especially a hyped up one such as Finnick. I'd also like to point out that beauty is subjective, and Claflin certainly is not ugly.
Okay, so he isn't my first choice (that was reserved for Armie Hammer, I have to admit), but we have to trust the Casting Directors to deliver as good a job as they managed with the first film.
for anyone who isn't entirely sure who Sam Claflin is check out Snow White and the Huntsman (ironically also starring Armie Hammer!!) and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.