Dominic Thompson (Shortland Street)

Dominic "Dom" Thompson is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Shane Cortese from 2003 to 2004.

Dom arrived as the brother of established character

After auditioning for Geoff Greenlaw and losing out to Andrew Laing, Shane Cortese learned producers had created a character specifically for him to be the brother of a major character and it was undecided whether the character would be "good or bad".^[1] Cortese made his debut as Dom in early 2003 under a yearlong contract with the potential of another 12 month expansion.^[1] The character stayed on screen for a year and departed in early 2004. Producers offered Cortese the chance to return on the show's 3000th episode under a contract that would see him continue with the show until mid-2005.^[2] Cortese accepted and returned to the show on the momentous 3000th episode.^[3] The character ended up getting killed off later in the year.^[4]

Storylines

Dom arrived to visit his sister

In 2003 Dom underwent a storyline where he fell for his best friends sister, 15-year-old Delphi Greenlaw. Cortese was at first uncomfortable with the storyline, stating; "I was very worried about the age difference but the way it's been done and written is really respectful."^[5] Cortese also believed despite the age difference, Dom was truly in love with Delphi; "Dom sees Delphi as his soul mate, she affects him in a way no one has before because he's always been suspicious of relationships. He doesn't have to pretend to be anyone else for her to like him."^[5] Producer Harriet Crampton enjoyed the romance and how it contrasted with Dom's evil character, stating; "To have a villain who has a strong sincere love or passion makes you think, ‘Okay, he’s an absolute bastard but we know he does love Delphi."^[4] The two first get together when Delphi turns 16, sharing a kiss.^[6] The two eventually start a relationship but break up when Dom comes under question of Geoff's murder in arguably one of the soap's most memorable storylines.^[7][8][9] Dom flees when Delphi confronts him about the murder but later returns, with Cortese suggesting it was for love; "But the thing about Dominic is he believes he's doing everything for the right reasons. He's done everything he can for Delphi — that's his main reason for coming back."^[2] Dom later scares Delphi into fleeing the country, ending the once seemingly perfect relationship.

Reception