In Harlan Coben’s newest limited series, Run Away, everyone is hiding something.
Simon Greene (James Nesbitt) had the perfect life, but then his oldest daughter, Paige (Ellie de Lange), ran away and everything fell apart. When he finally tracks her down, vulnerable and strung out on drugs in a city park, he jumps at the chance to bring his little girl home. But after an argument between Simon and Paige’s friend escalates into shocking violence, Simon loses his daughter all over again.
In his renewed search to find her, Simon meets Elena Ravenscroft (Ruth Jones), a private investigator who’s also looking for answers in a missing persons case; Cornelius Faber (Lucian Msamati), Paige’s former neighbor turned protector; and Detectives Isaac Fagbenle (Alfred Enoch) and Ruby Todd (Amy Gledhill), who suspect Simon may be responsible for a murder. Each of these characters is keeping their own secrets, as are other members of Simon’s supposedly perfect family, including wife Ingrid (Minnie Driver), son Sam (Adrian Greensmith), and sister-in-law Yvonne (Ingrid Oliver). On his journey to bring Paige back to safety, Simon uncovers hidden truths that could tear his world apart — this time, for good.
Read on to get to know the cast and characters of Run Away — as well as you can, anyway. And, remember: No one is entirely trustworthy.
James Nesbitt
as Simon Greene
About the Character
Simon is a successful and devoted husband and father of three, but his stable life begins to crumble when his oldest daughter, Paige, turns to drugs and disappears. Events take another shocking turn when Simon becomes a suspect in a murder case. Now he must prove his innocence and bring his daughter home. “Simon is flawed, angry, kind, doesn’t necessarily stop and think,” Nesbitt tells Netflix. “Those are interesting characteristics to identify and play. But,
ultimately, I would describe him as a parent — a father.”
Previously In
The Missing, Cold Feet
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Ruth Jones
as Elena Ravenscroft
About the Character
Elena is an ex–police officer turned private investigator who is hired by a wealthy businessman to track down his missing son, Henry. As she works on the case, Elena discovers a string of murders, all linked to Henry. Though she’s made a career of solving mysteries, secrets abound in Elena’s own life. While investigating Henry’s disappearance, she also attempts to untangle hard truths about her late husband. “I’ve never played anyone like her before,” says Jones. “I love her quirkiness and the fact she’s quite difficult to read, very unpredictable. She’s very calm in a crisis and hyper intelligent — she thinks very laterally. But I also love her warmth and empathy.”
Previously In
Gavin & Stacey, Stella
Minnie Driver
as Ingrid Greene
About the Character
Ingrid is a pediatrician who works hard to build a perfect life for her three children, alongside loving husband Simon. Ingrid reaches a breaking point, however, when their daughter Paige starts using drugs and steals from her own family. “This incredibly deep love between Ingrid and Paige has literally been ripped apart by addiction,” says Driver. “When I read it, Ingrid felt quite cold. She holds this incredibly strong line.” After Paige disappears, however, Ingrid sets out on a desperate search to bring her daughter home, and buried secrets begin to resurface.
Previously In
Good Will Hunting, The Serpent Queen
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Lucian Msamati
as Cornelius Faber
About the Character
Ex-soldier Cornelius is a resident at the Marinduque Estate, where fellow resident Aaron Corval is found murdered. Cornelius acts as an invaluable ally to Simon in the search for Paige and is unafraid to take the law into his own hands. But when someone threatens to expose Cornelius’s past, Simon begins to wonder if he’s truly trustworthy. “Like with all interesting characters, the person you first meet isn’t the person he truly is. Cornelius is the gift that keeps on giving — the storm you don’t see coming,” says Msamati.
Previously In
Conclave, Gangs of London
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Alfred Enoch
as Isaac Fagbenle
About the Character
Detective Isaac Fagbenle is investigating the murder of drug dealer Aaron Corval. When Isaac finds a viral video showing Simon attacking Aaron, Simon becomes his top suspect. But with his partner (and secret lover), Detective Ruby Todd, urging him to explore all possibilities and new evidence tying the crime to someone from Isaac’s past, he must decide how to proceed. “Isaac has rigidity and a real focus and single-mindedness, which throughout his career has been an advantage,” Enoch explains. “However, there is a point in this drama where it becomes a challenge. It creates a crisis. He must negotiate his inflexibility.”
Previously In
How to Get Away with Murder, The Couple Next Door
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About the Character
Detective Ruby Todd is investigating the murder of drug dealer Aaron Corval, alongside her partner and secret lover, Detective Fagbenle. While she’s very good at her job and takes the work quite seriously, Ruby also has a cheeky side. “There’s a fun dynamic between Isaac and Ruby because they’re very different. Ruby is lighthearted and scattier. She helps him leave his slightly po-faced seriousness and discover another side of him,” says Enoch. “They’re a proper detective double act.”
Previously In
Big Mood, Starstruck
Ellie de Lange
as Paige Greene
About the Character
Raised by a loving family in a stable home, Paige loses her way after moving out and starting university. Under the control of her troubled boyfriend, Paige turns to drugs and eventually runs away, leaving her parents Simon and Ingrid desperate to find her and make sure she’s OK. “Ellie as Paige is the heart of the series, the quest of the series,” says executive producer Richard Fee.
Previously In
Wolf Hall, The Serpent
Adrian Greensmith
as Sam Greene
About the Character
Simon and Ingrid’s son, Sam, is a university student struggling to navigate a tumultuous time as his family deals with the disappearance of his sister Paige. According to lead writer and executive producer Danny Brocklehurst, Sam is “overly concerned for his dad,” who’s desperately searching for Paige. Like so many of the characters, Sam may also know more than he’s letting on.
Previously In
Harlan Coben’s Shelter
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Ellie Henry
as Anya Greene
About the Character
Anya is Simon and Ingrid’s youngest daughter. A bright student, Anya manages to succeed in school despite her older sister’s addiction and the strain it’s recently put on her family.
About the Character
After growing up in the foster care system, Ash now works as a hit man and travels around completing jobs with his former foster sister, Dee Dee. “You have Ash and Dee Dee on the road, creating havoc wherever they go,” says Coben. “They’re like something out of True Romance or Bonnie and Clyde. There’s something very charismatic about their depravity. They are psychos. There’s no question about it but there’s something intriguing about following their route.”
Previously In
Big Boys, Sweet Pea
Maeve Courtier-Lilley
as Dee Dee
About the Character
Dee Dee also grew up in foster care and now works with Ash as a paid assassin. Unlike Ash, however, Dee Dee has found spiritual enlightenment through her involvement with another group, which her former foster brother doesn’t quite understand. Coben calls these two “fun, violent, and yet heartfelt characters.”
Previously In
Gran Turismo, The Red King
Follow Maeve Courtier-Lilley
About the Character
A former chiropodist, Lou now works as a tech expert supporting Elena’s private investigative work. “You always think of tech wizards as being young, but they’re not,” says Brocklehurst. “Lou and Elena’s relationship feels quite different. Ruth and Annette are both great actors and [have] their own style.”
Previously In
Ted Lasso, Midsommar Murders
About the Character
Yvonne is Ingrid’s sister, but she’s also Simon’s business partner. She set the couple up on a blind date years ago and now serves the important role of dependable aunt to Ingrid and Simon’s three children.
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Tracy Ann Oberman
as Jessica Kinberg
About the Character
Jessica is Simon’s fast-talking, no-nonsense lawyer. “She is very good and deals in reputational damage cases,” says Oberman. Plus, she always looks glamorous. “Jessica is very nicely suited and booted, and she’s got her Fendi bag.”
Previously In
Friday Night Dinner, Toast of London
