With decisions looming for KIN's Anthony, actor Mark McKenna Jr reckons that while he wants to be a "true Kinsella", he is also very protective of his mam Amanda. With Bren on a mission to oust Amanda, where will Anthony's loyalties ultimately lie?
For a 16-year-old boy, KIN's Anthony has a lot more going on in his life than sport, school and his mates. Last Sunday he was an accomplice in a murder, his family are some of the biggest drug dealers in the country and he is still reeling from the death of his brother eight months ago.
On top of that, his parents Jimmy (Emmett J Scanlon) and Amanda (Clare Dunne) are on the brink of divorce, his grandad Bren (Francis Magee) is hell-bent on destroying his mam and he is suspicious of his mam's relationship with his Uncle Michael (Charlie Cox).
It's quite the load for anyone, yet Mark McKenna Jr who plays Anthony reckons the main thing on his mind is how he can impress his grandad while keeping his mam out of danger. A quandary we fear is not going to have a very pleasant ending.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment 19-year-old McKenna explained that Anthony is very much in the middle of the family feud.
"If you look where Anthony is - he loves his mam to bits. His brother Jamie only died eight months ago. So he's still trying to be protective of his mam, and yet he's still trying to move up and show that he can be a Kinsella. It's such a weird spot to be in.
"He doesn't know yet that his parents are looking to get divorced or get away from each other, but he can sense some kind of anxiety in the house. And now with Bren out of prison, he is his grandad after all, so he looks up to him and doesn't want to make a fool of himself in front of him."
With so many strong and dangerous personalities surrounding Anthony at this malleable age, they have the power to shape the rest of his life in the coming weeks.
"He's definitely very impressionable," agrees McKenna. "I mean at 16, you haven't a clue. You think you do, but you are a kid.
"Anthony is like a piece of clay and he can be moulded into anything anyone around him wants him to be. It is hard to have reason and morals when you have these kinds of men telling you this is how you do it. This is how you be a man. This is how you become a Kinsella."
Bren is currently vying, and winning frankly, to be head of the clan. As a character, he makes for very uncomfortable yet compelling viewing. So convincing is Magee's portrayal of the recently released convict, that McKenna admits he often doesn't have to act scared in scenes with him - he is genuinely scared.
"He is a beautiful man. He is just brilliant. You are standing talking to him having a cup of tea and then like, maybe two minutes later, they call action and he is a completely scary and mesmerizing person.
"Whenever you are doing a scene with him he has this look in his eye that just comes on when they say action, and he literally could have been laughing just before they say action. And in all these scenes, I am not acting, I am genuinely afraid. I'm thinking 'oh my God this guy is scary'.
McKenna appears to have the same hopes for Anthony as many fans of the show do. "They love Anthony and they keep saying they don't want him to go down the bad route. When I meet people who watch the show they are constantly saying don't be going with Bren.
"And as me, Mark, I'd like him to realise that it's not the right path, you know? His mam is looking out for him, and his dad will look out for him, but just to realise that Bren is not the best guy. But you just never know. Peter's [McKenna] writing is just so good and is always surprising. You don't know what he's going to do, that's all I can say, you don't know what Anthony is going to do."
KIN, RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, Sunday, 9.30pm
