James guilty of killing Amy?
GREGORY FINNEGAN ISN’T RULING OUT ALTER EGO JAMES AS AMY’S KILLER…
Playing James is such a roller coaster,” chuckles Gregory Finnegan, who plays Chester’s go-to legal eagle. It’s clear he’s in high spirits today, with the actor erupting in laughter as we talk through his character’s delicious schemes. It’s no wonder he’s in such a good mood, seeing as he’s just found out he’s a Best
Actor nominee at this year’s British Soap Awards – and with James now a potential suspect in the Amy Barnes murder case, the drama has only just begun for the Hollyoaks star…
Hi, Gregory! Are viewers starting to suspect James could be Amy’s killer?
Oh yes! I think things like the ringtone and him sabotaging Harry’s posters have tipped the wink a little. I’ve had lots of messages on social media that range from
disbelief to total anger, so it’s quite fun being a murder suspect.
But what motive would James have had to kill her?
Well, he doesn’t necessarily have one as far as Amy is concerned, but there’s not much love lost with Ste, given his affair with John Paul. Would he frame Ste? It really depends on how far you think he’d go to take his revenge. James has declared that he’s over it, but it remains to be seen whether that’s actually true or not…
We’ve also seen James behaving pretty ruthlessly alongside Marnie in their revenge plot against Mac…
Yes, those scenes are very disturbing. It’s a serious condition that they’re pretending Mac has, and we’re not taking that lightly as far as the show’s concerned. But to be honest, the people I meet on the street are for the most part quite happy Mac is getting his comeuppance! And it’s great working with Lysette [Anthony, who plays Marnie] again after a few months apart. I’ve loved working with her from the beginning, so long may it continue.
Do you enjoy playing a character who’s been so heavily involved in criminal activity?
Yes, I’ve always enjoyed the law and true crimes. I’m quite into all that, so James’ job does appeal to me. I actually got a tweet from someone the other day asking for help with their Law A-level, and it’s funny because I studied that subject myself. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a particularly good result, but I think I could go back now and perhaps get a better mark than I did then!
James must have defended almost everyone in the village by now! Do you have a favourite client?
Absolutely right, I’ve defended a lot of people. I like storming into the police station and stopping interviews, that’s for sure! I’ve really enjoyed working with Kieron Richardson [Ste], who is a fantastic actor. He’s had a very well-deserved nod from the British
Soap Awards [Kieron is nominated for
Best Male Dramatic Performance]. My scenes with him and Andrew Hayden-smith
[DS Armstrong] have been really enjoyable, especially when Ste’s had his f lashbacks. It’s been great to work on such a heavy storyline with him.
And congrats to you for being nominated in the Best Actor category! You must be delighted.
It’s incredible! I’m really chuffed to have made it on to the shortlist, because
Hollyoaks has been an amazing experience so far. It’s great to get the fans involved and find out I have that kind of support. But saying that, there’s some serious talent in there. I’ve been blown away, so I’ll be practising my best loser face! Do you think you’ve got the edge on Jamie Lomas, who’s also nominated? If Jamie [aka Warren] won on the night, I think it would be very well deserved. I’ve worked with him quite a bit and he’s a brilliant actor, as well as a lovely guy. The scenes he did with Nikki [Sanderson, who plays Maxine] where Maxine lost their baby were tremendous. I hope we bring home a few awards this year, because there’s been lots of really wonderful stuff – Richard [Linnell, aka Alfie] and Kassius’ [Nelson, aka Jade] cancer storyline, and Sophie’s [Porley, aka Ellie] consent plot. Fingers crossed we get recognised!
I like storming into the police station to stop interviews!