Video: Garrett Hedlund Reveals Why He Passed on Finnick

damn it! We were so close!

well if he wasn’t that excited about it, its probably for the best, even if he was my number 1 choice for finnick and i was kinda sad.

Wow, I had no idea he was so close to getting the role.

“He was approached by Lionsgate” – what does this mean in showbiz-speak? Does that mean they offered the role to him?

@11thHeaven It might have just been Lionsgate calling him and saying “We want you to come audition” or maybe they offered it to him, he’s not very clear.

Unrelated, but it’s so bizarre to hear him speak after I saw him in Eragon, he looks so matured from then.

sounds to me like he didn’t even get to audition, then, despite all the rumors saying he did.

that’s sad, but oh well. i do think it should be someone who HAS had the time to read the script through and the books as well, to really portray the essence of finnick behind that script. if he didn’t have enough time to do that, then i’d rather it not be him. i wish the timing had been better so garrett could’ve gotten a shot at it, but i love sam and i know he’ll do the role justice. i hope this helps some fans out there get some closure, at least.

Garrett was my number one choice for Finnick. However, I’m glad that he turned it down, rather than putting a half-hearted effort into the role because he was so busy. It shows that he respects the character and movies to turn it down when he doesn’t have the time. I can’t believe he was potentially so close to playing Finnick though!

I have moved on from the Garrett bandwagon and am totally LOVING Sam Claflin as Finnick! So excited!

I wonder if he was approached before or after Sam auditioned…?

Nooooo, my heart breaks all over again! I knew he was close as a high potential to play Finnick, but I do agree that if he didn’t have the time to commit and immerse himself in the role then it was prob for the best. Def a case of really bad timing on his part. Still looking forward to CF, can’t wait everything seems like its shaping up well and the cast sounds estatic!

Damn! He was my dream Finnick. Sam seems standard enough though. I’m sure he’ll do a good job.

Oh, I wish I hadn’t read this. It makes me feel even worse about Finnick. Please, Sam, prove me wrong!

This is interesting, as I have suspected before that Sam Claflin was not their first choice. However, “approached for the role” is very vague, as to whether it was just to audition, or if it was further along. I don’t think Hedlund has the kind of cachet where they’d just offer him the role without an audition; he’s no Sutherland or PSH.

So, it would be unfair to say that they only turned to Claflin after Hedlund turned them down, seems the split occured much earlier in the process than that Perhaps Armie Hammer might have been more interested as well if he didn’t have prior commitments. But that being said, Claflin did drop out of another film in order to take the role. So maybe he is more committed to the role than some other fancasted actors would have been? Also, note that signing on for Finnick isn’t just a one-and-done deal, it’s a three film commitment, and I can see why not everyone would feel up to doing that.

I also would say, I respect Hedlund for not wanting to do a half-hearted job of this and seems committed to reading up on characters for all his movie roles. Some actors do just “go through the motions” and do the bare minimum to prepare, seems Garrett isn’t that type, which is good.

WHYYYYYY GARRET. Just, why?

I don’t believe him, I think Lionsgate passed on him. Lainey gossip who has been pretty accurate with who auditioned for the Hunger Games, including Jen and Josh, said Garrett did audition, that they liked his audition but were looking for something special and a person who just embodies Finnick’s qualities in the auditions. I think Garrett said he passed to save face because multiple sources said he auditioned.

:O .. speechless

I agree with Shaj ^
I find it hard to believe he couldn’t find any time at all to read the books. They’re not exactly difficult to read, it wouldn’t have taken him that long, surely.
I dunno… just think it’s an odd reason to turn down a huge role like that.

WHAT this like just ruined my day =’( =’( i mean i love Sam BUT WHY GARRETT IT COULD HAVE BEEN YOURS!!!!!!

I’m strangely bitter. I’m not even his fan but I still would’ve been so happy to see him as Finnick and hearing he was close to getting it just makes me angry. I like Sam, though.

He passed up on the role of a lifetime and I believe he will end up regretting this decision. Sam Claflin’s role of Finnick Odair will put him out more in the public eye, and he will definitely get offered more roles because of this character. This is unfortunate for Garrett, but oh well.

It would only take up to 5 days to read the books, though.

I’m happy with Sam claffin but daaammnnn we were so close and hes so hot:(

Sam read the book, just throwing that out there

I really admire Garrett, he seems a very passionate actor. So it makes sense him saying no to Hunger Games if he was thinking he couldn’t focus on the character the way it deserves.
I’m sad about that although.

PS: Sorry for any grammatical mistake, english is not my first language.

I would of loved Garret as Finnick, but I honestly think Sam Claflin will be heart breaking in Mockingjay. I watched United last night and I haven’t cried that hard in a movie since Titanic

Those who are saying he said he let the role go to save face need to learn a little more about Garrett Hedlund.
The dude’s a passionate actor, and he is straightforward. If he wanted the role but didn’t get it, he would have said it. This is the same guy who has in the top runners to get Captain America’s role (which later went to Chris Evans), and asked to be pulled out because he was loyal to the Tron franchise.
Come on, guys, don’t go around questioning people’s honest without knowing a little bit about them.

That’s true, Lia, also is the same boy who pursued for ¿eitgh years? to know the details of On the road, to know about its schedule and to try everything for being in it.

True, but he said that he was filming another film at the time which took 23 days to complete and he didn’t have time to read The Hunger Games but Catching Fire is filming now so its not like he has another project conflicting with the film, maybe now but not at the time. And there’s no doubt that he auditioned, he did, but the producers were looking for something more. His statement just seems like he didn’t even have time to look at the books, audition or find out anything about it which is a lie because he auditioned, you wouldn’t really audition without finding out what the project was about. Perhaps it doesn’t look good that someone of Garrett’s calibre who has been earning rave reviews for his portrayal of Dean in ‘On the Road’ can be passed on for virtually a person most people didn’t have on their radar and so a publicist’s advice would be to deny that he even auditioned and come across as the person who said ‘no’ first, not the other way around.

I’m just happy that Sam Clafin appears to have what they were looking for.

I suppose it’s a good thing that he was cautious about turning down a role that he didn’t feel he fit, though his statement may be diplomatic.
Since I’m not a teenage girl, I’m not as worked up about the casting.

It seems like he was approached to read but whether or not he actually read for the part, it seems like he wasn’t picked.

I may be getting some flack for this but it seems like he appears pretty lukewarm or uninterested in playing Finnick. By then he should have known how big the franchise was; nobody in their right mind would pass up the part. With Armie Hammer, it was reported that he was approached but he had to decline right away since he was still stuck with Lone Ranger with no end in sight. But with Garret, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Either he’s saving face or he really wasn’t interested to begin with.

@Alan same with me. As I guy I dont really care who they cast or how they look, I just want to see the movie.

He said it myself, he had no time to get ready for the role before filming started. It hasn’t been long since his film shooting for Lullaby ended, so that doesn’t really give him enough time to analyze and physically get ready for Finnick’s character.

The audition was a rumor, we don’t know if he actually auditioned. Lionsgate was interested and they probably met up, but that is hardly an audition. There was only one site that “confirmed” he had, but how do we know it was actually true? Sometimes gossip sites are onto something (Jennifer being frontrunner for Katniss), but most of the time they stretch the truth to try and catch the audience (The company narrowing down to three actors, when two of them where outright NOT interested and didn’t even meet up with the production).

I’m not defending his answer because “OMG! He is the only Finny for meeeeeh!”. It just bothers me a bit when people are so quick to judge.

Yeah, I loved the idea of Garrett as Finnick, but that doesn’t mean I like Sam Caflin any less. Sam is a total sweetheart and I’m willing to bet he will make a fantastic Finnick, even those who are iffy about him will end up loving him.

I’m so glad Sam got it.

@kate– oh gosh yes, united was so good wasn’t it. D’:

i’m just thinking, i’ve heard sometimes it’s hard for an actor to sort of “pause” in the role he’s playing at the moment and move onto another role. when they say he’s going to read for an audition, it’s not just “hey, how you doing, just hand me the script and i’ll read it”– no, actors who are professional take the time to prepare for an audition just as they would for the actual filming. that’s what he’s saying he didn’t have time for, in my opinion: he was filming another movie and couldn’t get out of THAT character to become finnick for a weekend and then come back and try to get back into his other character just as deeply as he was before he left. some actors, as far as i understand, can’t switch gears that easily. and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, because it means they’re giving their all to every role they’re playing.

so it’s not just whether or not he had three-four days to read the books, it’s about being this character, then “pausing” so he can be finnick for a little while, and then “back” to this other character again. he’d be doing a disservice to both films if he went in with that mentality, that’s what i think he’s saying in this interview. so i prefer to think of it as a timing issue– maybe if the auditions had been held AFTER this 23-day shoot was over, he might’ve had the chance to really give finnick his all.

also, i’m still surprised at how many people take lainey gossip’s word so surely. i mean, i know they’ve gotten quite a few things right, but i still wouldn’t trust them as far as i can throw them– every single article i’ve read on that website just seems wholly unprofessional, even if it happens to be true. so i’m still thinking it’s very likely garrett didn’t actually audition, not if he was as busy as he says he was.

it’s his career, no point in saying “he should have” this and that.

i was already happy about Sam’s casting, but the more i hear the more pleased i become. between seeing his performance in other movies like United and finding out he actually dropped another movie in order to be ing Catching Fire, it’s really seeming like they made another dead-on choice!

I’m happy with Sam because I’m fascinated with how talented British actors are. I think it’s the drama schools they have over there or something. The more I think about it, the more I realize while Garrett would have been a good Finnick, Sam has the acting technique to be an even better one.

I wanted him to play Finnick but what ever, done is done and i’m happy to see Sam as Finnick

I’m addicted to British actors. The only fancasting I participate in is Benedict Cumberbatch for Boggs (not that that would ever happen)

It was just bad timing for Garrett. But he would have been a 1000 times better Finnick than SC. There is this stuff in him, you don’t know what it is, but there is definitely something “Woah” in him. And Garrett is very committed, dedicated to his roles, judging by what he’s saying. However, I think he should be Finnick on Mockingjay movies (ok, SC is still committed but sometimes, depending on people’s reaction and reviews some cast members are changed : ie : Katie Holmes-Batman Begins to Maggie Gyllenaal on The Dark Knight and POTC 5 is announced). I think that Garrett wanted to be ready to be Finnick (if he really wanted to play the part, some people think he didn’t, I’m not sure of it), be professional.

So for me, SC as Finnick, it’s definitely not working (I saw the pics and I think Josh is more attractive than SC).

@ripleyaeryn I agree with you, the time’s not working for Garrett and Lionsgate. ‘On the Road’ and ‘Lullaby’ were in his hand and he must be responsible with the contract, right? And if only Lionsgate and Fox did’nt have schedule clash on Jennifer Lawrence, they can give the right time for Garrett. OMG, why did this happen?! And I catched that he was interested in the role, you can feel he’s a bit sad from his voice. Oh, Garrett.. But, hearing this news, now I can accept Sam for this role for the moment. Just to know that they really approached Garrett for Finnick, at least they hear us (what fans want). I would be so mad if the didn’t.