Who plays the role of Sean Gilroy in Netflix’s The Survivors? Character explored 

The Survivors is an Australian TV series premiered on Netflix on June 6, 2025. Based on Jane Harper’s novel of the same name, the series follows Kieran Elliott as he returns with his family to the fictional coastal town of Evelyn Bay after 15 years, still haunted by a storm that claimed several lives.

Back then, Toby Gilroy and Finn Elliott died when they took their boat out on a rescue mission during the storm. Moreover, a teenage girl named Gabby Birch also disappeared at that time.

In the series, Thom Green appears as Sean Gilroy, Kieran's best friend who lost his own brother, Toby Gilroy, in the tragic storm. The actor has appeared in numerous movies and TV shows, including series such as Dance Academy, Campus, and Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn. He also appeared in the 2022 Australian romance drama film Of an Age.

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Everything to know about The Survivors actor Thom Green

Born and raised in Australia, Thom Green loved performing as a child and was encouraged to continue pursuing his interests. When he was 16, he had his first foray in the acting world with a movie named Emerald Falls, which was reportedly never picked up, although it starred Australian actress Georgie Parker.

Things took off for Green when he landed the lead role in the award-winning short film, The Ground Beneath, through an open casting call in high school. He was nominated for the Best Young Actor Award at the AACTAs and AFI Awards for his performance.

Green's most recent work is playing the complex character Sean Gilroy in The Survivors. During an interview with Concrete Playground, published on June 06, 2025, he opened up about how he brought Sean to life.

"I read it the year it came out — and then when I was cast in this, I didn't actually go back to the book. I knew the story, but I think I was actually drawing more from stuff I'd seen, to give it my own flavour. So that was building the wardrobe, and the hair and makeup, and you're building all that," he said.

The actor continued:

"So I didn't go back to the book. I didn't try to draw anything from that. I decided to take a step back and do my own thing, so hopefully it did it justice."

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Was Sean Gilroy the decent man he appeared to be in The Survivors?

Initially, Sean comes across as a decent person, but the finale makes some shocking revelations about him. Kieran's partner, Mia, discovers Bronte's photographs in the darkroom at George's house. Late Bronte was a photographer who was working on a project about the incidents in town, including Gabby's dissappearance. One of those photos features a carving of Gabby's name with a date on a rock. However, the date is unclear in the photo.

When Sean and Kieran go to the caves to verify the date that Gabby had carved on one of the rocks, Sean confesses that he took Gabby to the caves on the boat and not Toby and Finn, as many believed for years. In fact, Sean is also the one who killed Bronte, as she had figured out the truth.

Sean and Kieran get into a fight in the caves because the former does not want the truth to come out. Luckily, the police has already been tipped off and reach there just in time to arrest Sean before he could kill Kieran and run away.

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The Survivors is available to stream on Netflix.