Neighbours' Rob Mills hints Ramsay Street isn't free of his terror yet: "Finn will live on!"

It was a dark end for one of Ramsay Street’s most sinister residents, and by the sound of that opening quote, he won’t be forgotten any time soon.

We’ve been chatting to the man himself, Rob Mills, about his time on the show and what he thinks about how he bowed out.

Finn’s been on quite the journey during his time on the show. How’s it been for you to play such an interesting character?

I didn’t think he was going to have this crazed story arc in the beginning. When I first joined it was for about three to four months and they just kept asking me to come back. I knew that this story was coming when I came back, waking up out of the coma and that he would get his memory back and some really horrible things had happened to him that had given him, sort of PTSD. But I really loved it. All the musicals and other things I had done, I had always been the nice guy, so it was good to play someone who was tormented and volatile - all while being a bit vulnerable too. I loved the acting challenge of it.

When you were told that not only were you returning to the show as a regular, but you’d have amnesia and live with the Kennedy’s, what was your reaction?

Dream come true. I pitched that to them from day one, I said that’s my dream. It’s Rob Mills’s dream to live in the Kennedy house. I loved it. I loved living there and just being a part of the iconic show that is Neighbours. 35 years on, a show that I grew up with and I’m living in the house with the Kennedy’s. It was awesome. We always joked about how many bedrooms there are at the Kennedy’s and Jackie would always say there are probably about 28.

Finn was always going to turn evil again, but did it play out more or less as you expected, or did it wind up being bigger than you ever thought?

I thought that he was going to start remembering things and plotting his revenge a lot earlier and keep pretending he had still lost his memory. But I prefer the way the writers have plotted it. It gave real depth to Finn and why he was the way he was. His mother abandoned him, his dad abandoned him, all the things that happened in Columbia- you could really see vulnerability in Finn I thought when reading the pages. I thought people would start to feel sorry for him, only for then a week or two later to watch him turn on everyone on the island.

How far in advance did you find out that your character would be responsible for the deaths of Gary and Prue?

Well when I read that first episode, I thought I’d killed Bea! The whole thing was so much fun, the stunts with Bonnie, running through the bushes, and I just watched the two-hander with Jackie and I was wrapped with how it turned out, and proud of myself. With the deaths, I found out in November. Damien Richardson (Gary) and I are no longer friends (laughs). There’s a great behind the scenes video where he’d requested that it be me that killed him- so that was good.

Which version of Finn did you prefer playing? Goodie or baddie?

I loved goofing around, nice Finn. The true essence of Finn is a fun-loving kind of guy, but at the same time, he is also the kid who wasn’t loved, who was tortured in Columbia, whose parents didn’t love him. He wanted to help others but no one would listen so always felt neglected. There are 2 sides to him, I really enjoyed filming Endgame eps and being the manipulator, really challenging for me. I like Finn, he’s a nice guy! I’ve always defended him but I don’t know if I can after this week! Finn Kelly will live on in the hellish memories of Erinsborough for a very long time!

What’s your take on who Finn was at the end? Do you think he went back to how he was before or was this a new version of "Evil Finn"?

He was new. I think he was completely new. All that trauma he had held on to, and then working it all out- I think there was definitely more depth to him this time. Because you could see him fighting it all, he didn’t want to be that person and then he realises, it’s just never going to go his way. He’s doomed, he thinks nobody’s ever going to love him; it’s a horrible realisation that he comes to.

How did you react when you heard his death wouldn’t be an act of revenge, but merely an act of carelessness on his part?

I like that, a couple of years ago, he had faked being paralysed, so this is kind of like sweet justice having him be paralysed here and unable to move. As for him slipping- he’s exhausted. By the end of it, he had been running around that island for days, then all the driving and he hadn’t slept. Then after everything with Susan, and looking after baby Aster, he's just absolutely exhausted. The guy has probably been up for a few days by that point.

Will you miss it?

I love being part of an Australian show. To last 35 yrs is amazing, they make basically two feature films a week of TV that is incredibly dramatic, thrilling and funny I’ll miss being a part of it, grateful and honoured to have shared in the magic that is Erinsborough and the Ramsay St family. RIP Finn Kelly… But I don’t miss being in a ditch for four hours!

Finally, having a character be so central to the 35^th-Anniversary must have been quite special. Did you know this was the plan when you returned and how did it feel to be such a focal point of an anniversary?

No, I didn't even realise it had been 35 years! I had no idea that Jason (Herbison- show producer) was planning all that for the 35th-Anniversary. I am hugely honoured and grateful that they would trust me with the storyline- to act it out and to be the antagonist and a focal point; I was and I still am really chuffed. I think it's one of the best things I've done and I can go out of it a happy man. As I said before, being a part of such an iconic show, one that has stood the test of time and keeps pushing boundaries and being progressive has been great. Neighbours keeps pushing the envelope in terms of stories and I think End Game was a great way for the show to again try something different- to give the viewers something new. I'm so proud to have been a part of it.

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