Time to start speculation on casting Finnick Odair, the 24 year old former Hunger Games victor from District 4 who becomes one of Katniss’s most important allies and closest friends. He’s also incredibly charming and attractive, so that helps too. Finnick won the games when he was 14 through his expert use of a trident. With District 4 being by the sea, Finnick is also a great swimmer, with bronzed skin and tousled copper hair, but don’t be mistaken that he’s just a pretty face. Finnick has a dark past and uncertain future, just like every citizen of Panem, and his value to Katniss as they grow closer is indispensable.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of five young actors who have demonstrated all the strength and charm and swagger and heartbreaking sadness that would make them more than suited to join Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth and step into Finnick’s shoes.
Hunter Parrish
“The Hunger Games” fans have a long history with Parrish, and they’re just not ready to give up on him yet. Overwhelmingly the fan favorite to play the role of sweet and sensitive male lead Peeta Mellark, he ultimately lost out to the slightly miscast Josh Hutcherson, but who says that’s the end of the road for Parrish? One factor that kept him from being Peeta was perhaps his age. Hutcherson is a suitable 19, while Parrish is 24. No problem there for Finnick, who’s supposed to be and look older than Katniss and Peeta. And so many of the qualities that made him right for Peeta could work for Finnick too: his charming personality, his innate sweetness, that ability to be totally heartbreaking. And it sure would make it up to the fans who championed him for Peeta for so many months.
Jesse Williams
Bright sea-foam eyes and tan skin, check and check. The dreamy Williams first made young female audiences sit up and pay attention when he stripped naked to play Alexis Bledel’s love interest in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2″, and we they haven’t stopped staring since. And it doesn’t hurt that he can play sexy and smoldering one second, sensitive and thoughtful the next. Williams has been sticking mostly to TV roles since, as a regular on “Grey’s Anatomy” most recently, but the finally released surprise horror hit “Cabin in the Woods” should put him back on the radar of feature film casting directors.
Harry Lloyd
An unconventional choice, perhaps, but he’s also probably our favorite choice simply because of that. Many people probably wouldn’t even recognize Lloyd if they saw him on the street, and that’s in no small part due to the fact that his major breakout role was on the HBO series “Game of Thrones.” But the guy’s got the looks and swagger as well as vulnerability and acting talent to pull off Finnick. His “Game of Thrones” co-stars are all popping up on the big screen and he’s got another advantage: His stint on the show is over thanks to a boiling pot of gold, leaving him free to do movies full time. Give him a call, Lionsgate!
Garrett Hedlund
Let’s face it, Garrett Hedlund’s name probably will pop up when real casting decisions start getting made on “Catching Fire.” He’s one of the most talked about young actors right now, being in contention for one high profile role after another (the latest: Akiva Goldsman’s “Winter’s Tale”). Still, it’s not hard to see why Hedlund would make an amazing Finnick. The looks, the charm, the acting, it’s all working in his favor here. Like Hammer though, Hedlund may prove to be too in demand, especially if the reviews for “On the Road” coming out of Cannes are positive.
Armie Hammer
With that muscular build, tanned skin and those piercing eyes, it’s no wonder “The Social Network” star is such a fan favorite for the role. Not only that, but Hammer has charisma out the wazoo, keen comedic timing, and grit when it’s called for. All qualities that would make him an impossibly perfect Finnick Odair. But Hammer is a major rising star in Hollywood and his dance card is rapidly filling up, so Lawrence would probably have to move fast to pin him down, especially since Hammer would have to commit to shooting three movies for the franchise (of course “Mockingjay” will be split into two movies!).
There you have it, five guys we think would make great Finnicks. What do you think? Who do you want to see as Finnick?


