On March 3, Daisy Jones & The Six, the highly anticipated television adaptation of the best-selling book of the same name by Taylor Jenkins Reid, will debut. Fans of the novel cannot wait to see their wildest fantasy being adapted on the screen with Sam Claflin playing the lead singer of The Six, Billy Dunne.
With numerous notable acting roles under his belt and a familiar face in the film business, Claflin is a figure in whom book enthusiasts can put their faith. There are a few of Claflin’s acting credits that fans can add to their watchlist while waiting for Daisy Jones & The Six to be released.
1 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' (2013)
Catching Fire is the second installment in The Hunger Games film series and takes place a few months after the first movie. The film continues to follow Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) as they return home after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games. Katniss and her loved ones are at greater risk than ever since their victory has sparked a rebellion across the nation.
Claflin played Finnick Odair, a victor from District 4 and the winner of the 65th Hunger Games, who started out as a threat to Katniss but soon became her biggest ally. The film not only builds on the foundation set by its predecessor but also outperforms it in almost every way which takes into account political, social, and emotional aspects that go beyond the bounds of a young adult novel and signify something far more important.
2 'Me Before You' (2016)
Me Before You follows Louisa ‘Lou’ Clark (Emilia Clarke) who is employed to be a caregiver to Will (Claflin), who was previously a wealthy banker and an active sportsman, and who is now a tetraplegic as a result of the accident. Despite being very different from one another, the two gradually forge a special bond.
Despite being a conventional tale with stereotypical characters, the themes portray the human experience and connect to sympathetic viewers. Its simplicity also allows spectators to relate to it on a universal level. Moreover, Clarke and Claflin’s chemistry is off the charts, bringing warmth and genuine emotion to the picture.
3 'Love, Rosie' (2014)
Love, Rosie follows two best friends since 5, Rosie Dunne (one of Lily Collins' best roles), and Alex Stewart (Claflin) who find that as they grew older, they frequently find themselves drifting apart. They risk everything to maintain their friendship over the years and distances, only to discover they are in love after it is too late.
Love, Rosie disregards norms, and the stories flow at an amazing pace that makes them enjoyable to watch. Moreover, due in large part to the amazing chemistry between the protagonists, who convey their imperfect, complex characters to life in a hilarious, sympathetic, and likable way, the movie succeeds well enough on its own.
4 'The Nightingale' (2018)
Set in 1825 in the penal colony of Van Diemen's Land, The Nightingale portrays the story of a female convict (Aisling Franciosi) seeking vengeance for a terrible atrocity done to her during the Black War. She is under the command of Lieutenant Hawkins, who is played by Claflin, in the British Army Regiment.
Instead of focusing on the tragedy itself, The Nightingale proves to be a potent study of surviving; it also holds a somberly gloomy mirror that reflects the atrocities of racism, colonialism, and misogyny. In an effort to portray a famously cruel era in Australia's colonial past as truthfully as possible, the film also wipes away all forms of fabrication and fiction.
5 'Enola Holmes' (2020)
Based on Nancy Springer's first novel in The Enola Holmes Mysteries series, Enola Holmes follows the titular character, played by Millie Bobby Brown, as she goes to London in search of her missing mother but instead embarks on an exciting journey with a fleeing lord (Louis Partridge), trying to uncover a mystery that threatens the entire nation. Claflin played Mycroft Holmes, Enola’s older brother.
The massively popular Netflix film is an exciting, colorful, and character-filled story that's drenched in themes of womanhood, self-discovery, and navigating the outside world. Additionally, thanks to a fantastic ensemble and an exciting journey that is full of twists and turns and will leave viewers wanting more, Enola Holmes vibrantly lives up to the book series after which it is named.
6 'Peaky Blinders' (2013 - 2022)
Set in Birmingham, England, Peaky Blinders focuses on Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), a fearsome gang leader, and his gang members who sew razor blades into the tips of their caps. Claflin portrayed the political fascist, Sir Oswald Mosley, head of the British Union of Fascists who entered the show in season 5.
Peaky Blinders excels as a period drama because it is challenging to watch, intellectual, and makes viewers consider morality and the ambiguity between right and wrong. The program is a delightful historical mood TV diversion with a cast of compelling and skillfully written characters that viewers can't help but root for.
7 'Adrift' (2018)
Based on Tami Oldham Ashcraft's 2002 book Red Sky in Mourning which is based on a true story set during the events of Hurricane Raymond in 1983, Adrift follows two free spirits (played by Shailene Woodley and Claflin) who meet by happenstance and are eventually taken on the journey of a lifetime.
Adrift is a masterfully made movie that tells a stirring genuine story of young love and steely resolve while including excellent acting and realistic special effects. Woodley and Claflin were both standout performers whose combined performances lit up the screen.
8 'My Cousin Rachel' (2017)
My Cousin Rachel follows Philip (Claflin), an orphan, who is taken in by his older cousin Ambrose in the 1830s, who raises him like a son on his vast estate in Cornwall. When Ambrose passes away, Phillip plans to exact revenge on his late cousin's intriguing, stunning wife (Rachel Weisz) because he holds her accountable for his demise. Yet as he starts to give in to her seductive charms, his emotions start to get murky.
The film is beautifully shot, skillfully performed, and expertly crafted by director Roger Michell. It is also a profound investigation of the effects of complex and dynamic female sexuality during the years that mainstream society classified as a woman's matronly years.
9 'Their Finest' (2016)
Their Finest relates the tale of a British Ministry of Information film crew producing a video to raise morale during the Battle of Britain and the London Blitz about the Dunkirk evacuation. Claflin portrayed Tom Buckley, a screenwriter in the crew.
The movie about making a movie deftly navigates past the widespread trauma of war to find romantic, humorous, and heartbreaking moments while balancing a variety of tones. With great comic timing, Gemma Arterton delivers a deep and convincing portrayal, while Claflin is the ideal scene companion.
10 'Journey's End' (2017)
Journey's End, which takes place over the course of four days in 1917 before a significant German attack on the British trenches, depicts the tension and claustrophobia as Lieutenant Raleigh (Asa Butterfield), a new recruit to the company, realizes that Captain Stanhope (Claflin), his former childhood friend, and hero, has transformed almost beyond recognition.
The film explores the souls of people pushed to the front lines of the war by stripping everything down to the bare necessities. Journey’s End also vividly depicts the utter horror of the First World War through the solid performances of the cast, especially Claflin, who ensures that even a century later, the emotional effect is still felt.