Soap Hub Performer of the Week for B&B: Tanner Novlan

 

Tanner Novlan may have had it a bit easier the last several weeks as his character Dr. John ‘Finn’ Finnegan was in a coma on The Bold and the Beautiful. (Fewer lines to memorize!) However, now that Finn is conscious Novlan is making up for lost time by delivering compelling performances, earning him Soap Hub’s Performer of the Week for B&B honors.

Tanner Novlan – Performer of the Week

It only make sense that a person might not sound the same if they’d been in a coma for a few months, which Finn has been in real-time if not screen-time. So, kudos to Tanner Novlan for altering the sound of his voice in his first scenes with Finn being conscious. He sounds not only hoarse but understandably confused and horrified. (Wouldn’t you if you woke up to find you were being taken care of by Sheila Carter — your birth mother who shot you?)

Novlan not only used his voice but he used his eyes to convey Finn’s feelings. The man is horrified by what’s happen to him! Not only has he been shot but he hasn’t been able to see his wife Steffy Forrester Finnegan (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) or their son Hayes Finnegan. While Finn was likely unconscious when Steffy was shot, he naturally assumed that Sheila might have harmed his bride.

Whether it was the right move or not, Sheila opted to let Finn know that everyone thinks he’s dead. That agitated the good doctor prompting Novlan to infuse his character with energy that he simply did not have! Choosing his words carefully, Finn asked to go to a hospital and called out Steffy’s name.

Sheila’s never been one not to take advantage of a situation. She told a confused Finn that his mother (meaning Li Finnegan, played by Naomi Matsuda) had saved his life and then, Sheila went along with Finn’s assumption that he meant her! (Bitch!)

“I’m stuck in here with a crazy woman,” Finn said to himself in a voiceover that the audience — but not Sheila — could hear. His eyes filling with tears, Finn, who’s both weak and strong at the same time, vowed to return to his life with Steffy and Hayes. Bravo to Tanner Novlan for playing Finn’s determination and perseverance in a challenging storyline!