Run Away Cast: Here's Where You've Seen The Stars Of The Netflix Thriller Before

Whether you’re rationing each episode or you’ve already torn through Harlan Coben’s latest thriller, Run Away, the chances are you’ll be familiar with more than a few faces in the hit Netflix series.

As has become tradition with the writer’s adaptations (who remembers Matt Willis off of Busted sharing the screen with Lenny Henry in Missing You?) the cast includes a line-up of British actors and comedians you might not expect to see thrust together.

Here’s where you might recognise them from…

James Nesbitt

James Nesbitt has been a regular on our screens since his major breakthrough as womaniser Adam Williams in Cold Feet almost 30 years ago. 

Since then, he’s made a name for himself playing morally complex characters like undercover cop Tommy Murphy in Murphy’s Law, DCI Tom Brannick in Bloodlands and Harry Clayton in Stan Lee’s Lucky Man.

The Northern Irish actor has also crossed over to the big screen playing dwarf Bofur in the Hobbit films, while you might have also seen him in Waking Ned, Millions, Bloody Sunday and Match Point.

James is no newcomer to the Harlan Coben universe, either, having already appeared in last year’s Missing You and 2021’s Stay Close. 

And if none of that rings a bell, maybe you saw him in The Missing, Jekyll, Line Of Duty, Babylon or Suspect.

Ruth Jones 

Best-known and beloved to the nation as Nessa from Gavin & Stacey,Ruth Jones’ screen career actually kicked off way before she created and starred in the hit comedy. 

Her first major breakthrough came in 2000 when she starred as Kelly in Kay Mellor’s ITV series Fat Friends for five years – along with her future Gavin & Stacey castmates James Corden and Alison Steadman.

Ruth went on to appear in everything from Little Britain to Nighty Night, Saxondale, Little Dorrit and The Street.  

In 2012, she created and starred in Sky comedy drama Stella, earning a BAFTA nomination for playing the titular single mother navigating life in the Welsh Valleys for its six series run.

Minnie Driver 

Minnie Driver is best known for her film roles, following her breakthrough in the mid-90s opposite Colin Firth and Chris O’Donnell in an adaption of Maeve Binchy’s book Circle Of Friends.

Hollywood then came calling after she starred in Good Will Hunting, collecting an Oscar nomination for her role as the title character (played by Matt Damon’s) love interest Skylar. 

Cinephiles might also know her from cult comedy Grosse Pointe Blank or her roles in Sleepers, GoldenEye, The Phantom Of The Opera, Return To Me, Big Night and Hard Rain.

Minnie has also enjoyed a prolific career in TV, with roles spanning comedy, drama and everything in between. 

She picked up an Emmy nomination for playing recovering drug addict Dahlia in The Riches opposite Eddie Izzard, while she also collected critical acclaim in her role as the mother of a teenager with cerebral palsy in Speechless.

Besides all that, Minnie has also popped up in a bunch of other TV series including The Serpent Queen, Will & Grace, Modern Family, The Deep, Starstruck, Emily In Paris and The Witcher: Blood Origin.

Lucian Msamati

A big deal in the stage world, Lucian Msamati appeared in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Othello as well as the West End plays Clybourne Park, Amadeus, Waiting For Godot (opposite Ben Whishaw) and Ruined.

Lucian is perhaps most-recognised for playing pirate Salladhor Saan in Game Of Thrones, but he’s also appeared in other big-hitters like The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Gangs Of London, Black Earth Rising, Luther, Kiri, Hostage, Doctor Who and Ashes To Ashes.

Movie fans will know Lucian as the unscrupulous Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi in Oscar-nominated Conclave while he also starred in See How They Run and The Good Liar.

Alfred Enoch

Alfred Enoch started out as a child actor, playing Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter films before gaining further recognition as Wes Gibbins in legal thriller How To Get Away With Murder.

His other TV roles have included Broadchurch, Mount Pleasant, Sherlock, Troy: Fall Of A City, Trust Me, Foundation and Miss Austen, and you’ll most likely recognise him from Channel 4 thriller The Couple Next Door., too 

Finally, Christmas movie devotees will have caught him starring alongside Kaya Scodelario in the 2022 festive rom-com This Is Christmas.

Tracy-Ann Oberman

Tracy-Ann Oberman is an acting legend who has turned her hand to everything from Auntie Val in the sitcom Friday Night Dinner to a stage career spanning the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.

Soap fans will know her as Dirty Den’s wife-turned-murderer Chrissie Watts in Eastenders while she’s also appeared in Doctor Who, It’s A Sin, Toast Of London, After Life, Ridley Road and New Tricks.

Amy Gledhill

First and foremost a comedian, Amy has transitioned from stand-up to screen, appearing in shows including Sophie Willan’s Bafta-winning comedy Alma’s Not Normal and panel series Would I Lie To You?

She’s also prolific in the podcasting world, hosting comedy dating series Single Ladies In Your Area along with Harriet Kemsley.

So far, 2026 is shaping up to be a big year for Amy, as she’s also set to appear on the next series of Taskmaster and Amazon Prime’s hit show Last One Laughing.

Ellie De Lange

Ellie is still a relative newcomer to our screens, but you’re most likely to have spotted her in BBC’s lockdown hit drama The Serpent.

She’s also had roles in Sky’s historical drama The Tattooist Of Auschwitz, Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light and Belgian-Dutch sci-fi series Arcadia.

Jon Pointing

Jon Pointing won hoards of fans for his depiction of Danny in the heartstring-plucking Channel 4 sitcom Big Boys. 

You also might have seen him in Plebs, Queenie, Pls Like, Starstruck, Smothered or Murder Is Easy.

Most recently he appeared in Sky’s dark murder-comedy Sweetpea, playing Craig – a no-good love interest prone to ghosting. 

Maeve Courtier-Lilley

Like many great actors, Maeve cut her teeth with early appearances on Doctors and Casualty. 

She went on to land more prominent roles in US fantasy series The Outpost and crime drama The Red King while you might have also seen Maeve in Silent Witness or the films Champagne Problems and Gran Turismo. 

Annette Badland

You might not recognise Annette by name, but you’ll definitely have seen her face at one point or another.

With a career spanning stage, film and TV, you’ll have seen her in EastEnders as Babe Smith and Doctor Who as Margaret Blaine, along with roles in Ted Lasso, Inside No. 9, The Crown, Outlander, Skins and Bergerac.

More recently you’ll have seen Annette alongside fellow Run Away cast member Jon in Big Boys, playing Nanny Bingo, as well as appearing in the beloved Netflix teen drama Heartstopper.

Ingrid Oliver

Peep Show fans might know Ingrid as Natalie, while to Who-vians, she’ll forever be remembered as Petronella Osgood.

However Ingrid has a bunch of other comedy and dramatic credits to her name including Plebs, Sweetpea, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, The Watch, Defending The Guilty and Watson & Oliver.

You might have also seen her in films including The Thursday Murder Club, Last Christmas, The Hustle, You, Me And Him and Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging.

Adrian Greensmith

If you recognise Adrian, odds are it’s from his appearance in another Harlan Coben series, Shelter, over on Amazon Prime, in which he played “Spoon”. 

He’s also appeared in TV series Amadeus as well as Netflix’s sci-fi drama 3 Body Problem and teen comedy Metal Lords.

Ellie Henry 

Other than Run Away, Ellie’s only other major role has been as Freya Calder in Hollyoaks.

She played headteacher Carter Shepherd ’s daughter between 2022 and 2024.

Run Away is streaming on Netflix now.