Finn Sharkey
Played by
Jack McMullen
Finn Sharkey is witty, exciting and not overly burdened by conscience; he exudes a James Dean star quality, with looks and attitude to match. On the first day of term both Siobhan and Amy are attracted to Finn’s bad boy charisma and much to Tom’s obvious dismay, even Josh is drawn to this fiery newcomer. Finn doesn’t just cause trouble, he manipulates and instigates others into causing trouble then quietly steps out of the spotlight to avoid taking any of the blame – he’s cunning, calculating but thrilling to be around. Excluded by a number of previous schools, Waterloo Road is the last school in the area to offer Finn a place. He’s already known to Christopher Mead, who taught Finn at a previous school whose life was made a living hell by the young boy.
Finn’s home life is one of financial privilege - he has every gadget and gizmo a teen could want – but the trade off is a set of parents who can’t be bothered to spend time with him. Mr and Mrs Sharkey are both successful business people who work anti-social hours, frequently commuting to London and staying overnight. They can’t see a connection between their geographical and emotional absence in their son’s life and Finn’s attention-seeking behaviour. For all his material wealth, their son is a lonely, latch-key kid. Finn learnt long ago that receiving negative attention is better than receiving no attention at all and underneath his bravado and banter essentially lays a deeply unhappy, lost boy.
It’s hardly surprising then, when Finn and Amy become involved, that his connection with her is intense and he manipulates her to ensure complete dedication and commitment to him. Finn finds in Amy a willing devotee – she quickly allows Finn to control her, with devastating consequences…