Born and raised in Merseyside, Josh Finan surprised himself when he auditioned successfully for FX/Disney+ miniseries Say Nothing, landing the role of Gerry Adams in a historical drama set in the conflict-riddled Northern Ireland of The Troubles.

The story uses the abduction of Jean McConville, who was accused by the IRA of being an informer, as a starting point to examine what extremes people will go to in pursuit of a cause.

Based on The New York Times non-fiction bestseller by Patrick Radden Keefe, it follows the West Belfast mother’s abduction and murder through the eyes of IRA-member sisters Delours and Marion Price, played by previous Stars of Tomorrow Lola Petticrew and Hazel Doupe. Depicting Sinn Fein politician Adams — who has been connected with the case — through a significant arc of time was a giant leap, and “probably the biggest thing I’ve ever gone up for”, says Finan. “He walks, talks and thinks very differently to me. It was a huge and welcome challenge.”

The actor has seen his profile surge since last year’s nomination at the Bafta TV Awards for his role as drug addict Marco in BBC police drama The Responder. He has since appeared in fellow 2024 Star of Tomorrow Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer and Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, both for Netflix; is back in season two of The Responder; and filmed Say Nothing, which is adapted from Patrick Radden Keefe’s non-fiction book.

As for the Bafta nomination, “it was mad”, he says about waking up to the news. “I didn’t really speak. I just had a shower and, like, stood still.”

Playing Marco in The Responder has been “a gift of a role for any actor”, and one that he has “relished pouring my heart into”. And while very far from Finan, “he’s a character I’ve played in real life… The area that I grew up in at times demanded a certain level of posturing or putting on a bit of a front.”

The graduate of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School recently completed a run of The House Party — a modern update of Strindberg classic Miss Julie — at Chichester Theatre Festival. And it would likely be in the theatre where he might take a crack at directing (“Being in charge of a film set would be chaos”).

He is already “tinkering around with ideas for scripts”, and takes inspiration from the likes of Philip Barantini (who directed him in The Responder), Daniel Kaluuya, Stephen Graham and Harris Dickinson, actors who have all made the leap into directing, writing or producing.

Contact: Tim Bradbeer, Insight Management & Production

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