Dónal Finn

As Mr Hayward in The Other Bennet Sister (2026), Dónal Finn makes courtship look worth the trouble. Mary Bennet's self-discovery already gives the series a reason to exist; he supplies enough romantic appeal for affection to deserve its share of the evening. We warmed to Hayward because Finn made us want the romance to have room alongside Mary's independence. Ella Bruccoleri remains the main attraction, and the writing sometimes makes Mary's family crudely unpleasant to secure our sympathy. Finn's contribution is welcome in a warm series whose writers do not always trust us to take Mary's side.

His larger screen roles have tended to be in fantasy and period drama. After Eoin McGonigal in SAS Rogue Heroes (2022), he took over Mat Cauthon in the second and third series of The Wheel of Time (2023–2025). That move meant joining a programme whose audience had already met his character through another actor. James Moriarty in Guy Ritchie's Young Sherlock (2026), opposite Hero Fiennes Tiffin, gives him another familiar name to work with, this time in a story about the character's beginnings.

His voice is worth attending to as well. He played Orpheus in the West End production of Hadestown (2024) in his Cork accent, and uses an Irish accent for Moriarty. His stage work helps explain the musical, expressive quality of his screen performances. We would like to see that expressiveness tested beyond the period and fantasy settings that recur in his screen work.

His village priest in Paul Greengrass's The Uprising (2026) is a supporting role in a film we liked less. Andrew Garfield's persuasive lead and the convincing medieval setting are reasons to watch, but the relentless action does too much of the storytelling. It is a less useful introduction to Finn, and our reservations about the film should not be mistaken for a judgement on his performance. Start with The Other Bennet Sister if a gentle period romance appeals.