Emmerdale’s Joe Gill wanted to cause a ‘big stir’ with Finn Barton’s death
The actor said he wanted to end his four-year stint with a big shock to the audience.
Emmerdale star Joe Gill has told how he wanted to create a “big stir” with his character Finn Barton’s death.
The actor, 23, made his last appearance on the ITV soap on Thursday as Finn died in hospital after being shot by his mother Emma, marking the end of Gill’s four-year stint on the show.
After first discussing his big exit with creators in February, he said: “We were trying to go for a big, big shock and a big twist in the show, so I really hope that the audience have got that.
“It’s been very hard to keep it a secret but hopefully it’s gone in the show’s favour to create a big stir. I do feel that with the shock impact, it was the right thing to do.”
On filming his final scenes, which saw a wounded Finn stagger through the woods before being picked up and rushed to hospital, he said: “It was quite strange.
“In the moment it was still like any other scene, but it was in the back of my head; especially in the last 10 scenes, I constantly ticked them off.
“It was slightly emotional. I did feel happy at the same time as feeling sad, looking back on it with great pride.”
Gill said he would miss the show but made the decision to leave for “purely professional reasons” and hopes to pursue other possibilities and characters.
He joked: “Finn has three pairs of glasses and after my final scene I took them home. So anytime I miss the character I can look in the mirror and pop them on.”
The actor also paid tribute to his on-screen family, who tend to be at the forefront of Emmerdale drama.
“Not only because every single person I get along with and have learnt from, but there has never been a dull moment – there’s always been someone with a storyline that we have all bounced off of. I’ve always been there with something to do.
“I really enjoyed the first part when I came into the show, I worked in the B&B and did a lot of comedy scenes. In those scenes the writers and myself got to know the character a lot. I also think of the big stories of when Finn went to find his mother… then obviously the big helicopter crash.”
With high hopes for the future, he continued: “I’m back auditioning, there’s nothing set in stone just yet, but what’s exciting now is that anything is possible.”
