Sam Claflin opens up about his body dysmorphia, which he developed while working in the entertainment industry.
Sam, 39, spoke about eating disorders and body dysmorphia during an appearance on Fearne Cotton’s Happy place podcast.
The Hunger Games star confessed that he had a hard time filming shirtless scenes because he didn’t think he had the leading man’s body.
He shared: “A lot of the roles I played earlier in my career – I had a topless scene in one of my first films but it wasn’t in the script and I got a week before I was told they were going to my top.”
“I thought, ‘s***, I haven’t trained, what do I do?’ This is my first introduction to the world,” he recalls.
The Love, Rosie star reflected on his younger years, sharing that his body dysmorphia started in his teenage years when he “entered puberty late” and thought he didn’t look “handsome” or “strong enough” during those years.
Even now, long after he established himself as a heartthrob through films Love, Rosie, me to you, and the Hunger Games, he still feels uncomfortable seeing himself on screen.
“I’m incredibly insecure. I just went to a screening of a movie I was in and immediately afterwards everyone asked, ‘How was it?’ And (I was like), ‘I hated it.’ It’s my face that I don’t like. I have a form of body dysmorphia,” he said.
He said: “I’m extremely affected by (body dysmorphia). I’d say most guys are, but I’d say mine has gotten pretty bad.”
“It’s a real struggle. It’s like a daily struggle. I’m really influenced by what other people think and whether they think I’m good looking or a nice person,” he admitted, after revealing that he skips breakfast and works out more if he’s had a full meal the night before.
Sam Claflin’s most recent projects include The Count of Monte Cristo, Lazarus, And Disappeared.
