After his character was shot and killed last week on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” actor Tanner Novlan’s run as Dr. John “Finn” Finnegan on the series has sadly come to a close. He joined the soap in July 2020.
“Brad [Bell, executive producer/head writer] gave me a call personally and told me where the character was headed and yeah, I was really surprised,” Novlan told Soap Opera Digest in its newest issue, on newsstands now. “But, that’s the nature of soap opera. Anything can happen at any time, and that’s ultimately what keeps people engaged with the show.”
Fans are currently in an uproar following the recent twist which found Finn’s biological mother, Sheila (Kimberlin Brown), being the one to pull the trigger after he came upon her as she was preparing to shoot his wife, Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood), who herself was confronting Sheila over her involvement in breaking Brooke’s (Katherine Kelly Lang) sobriety.
This week’s episodes left Steffy without much time to grieve as she herself was left begging for her life before Sheila also shot her. The couple was left in an alleyway before Deacon (Sean Kanan) came upon the pair and called for help. Sadly, the medical team couldn’t revive Finn while Steffy is fighting for her life in the hospital with her family standing by her side praying for a miracle.
Courtesy of CBS
Back to Novlan’s exit, in terms of other cast members and their reactions to the twist, Novlan notes the storyline took many by surprise, particularly Wood, his on-screen love interest. “She was surprised because we have so many ‘SINN’ fans. She was speechless and I said, ‘Well, I think that’s the point of it [laughs].’ But, everyone was very supportive. They are a great family and we’ll remain friends. You don’t go on a show like ‘B&B’ and not create great relationships.”
While this might be the end for his character’s run on “B&B,” Novlan is open to joining another daytime series. “Yeah, it’s an interesting medium,” the actor says of the genre. “I’m so grateful to ‘B&B’ and I really like the pace of daytime. At first, it was intimidating but now, I love to shoot fast and quick. You do these other shows and there are the big crane shots and you do the whole scene and now, I’m like, ‘Do we not have it yet? We did one take. Come on, guys. Crank it up [laughs].’ That’s something I’m proud of.”
As for what’s next for Novlan, the actor is starring in a new Liberty Mutual commercial (aka: “Liberty Biberty”) and is awaiting word on a fifth season order for The CW’s “Roswell, New Mexico” where he recurs in the role of Gregory (season four premieres Monday, June 6). “You’re going to see plenty of me annoying you on your TV screen, so I will be popping up everywhere,” Novlan teases.
In addition to “B&B” and “Roswell, New Mexico,” Novlan’s other credits include appearances in episodes of “Modern Family,” “Parenthood,” “Rizzoli & Isles” and “Bones,” among others.
Check out Novlan’s latest with Liberty Mutual below.