English actress Rosalind Eleazar is no stranger to a dark and suspenseful TV series, especially since making Slow Horses.
But for the 36-year-old, who stars as DI Kat Donovan in Netflix’s Missing You both thrillers aren’t the same.
She said: “It’s interesting because they are both thrillers but weirdly, I don’t think they are at all similar.
Read more: Missing You filmed in Bolton to land on Netflix on Jan 1
“Harlan Coben projects are full of plot twists. You always think it’s going somewhere else until the last minute.
“He’s a genius at that. Whereas I find that the Mick Herron books, including the TV adaption of Slow Horses, are almost an office-based drama set in the spy world.
Read more: Netflix’s Missing You filming locations in the north west
(Image: Newsquest) “I don’t know what genre you would put Slow Horses in; I think that’s partly the appeal of it. Slow Horses is a lot about relationships. While the Harlan Coben shows are full of mystery, and you are on the edge of your seat figuring out where we are going to go next.”
Missing You focuses on Detective Donovan whose life turns upside down after her fiancé Josh – played by British actor and rapper Ashley Walters, 42, also known for his role as Dushane in Netflix’s Top Boy – suddenly resurfaces in strange circumstances.
The cast also includes Interceptor and The Good Liar actress, Brigid Zengeni, who plays Kat’s mother Odette, Hannibal actor Richard Armitage, 53, as Ellis Stagger, British actor and comedian Steve Pemberton, 57, as Titus, also known for his role in Death On The Nile, and British Independent Film Award-winning Northern Irish actor James Nesbitt, 59, as Calligan.
As a drama, Missing You feels more romantic than most of Coben’s thrillers, including Fool Me Once – also filmed in Bolton – which was recently named the most-watched TV show on Netflix for the first half of 2024.
“The buzzword for me is ‘poetic’. There are countless thrilling elements to it and real twists and plot turns. That’s like a usual Harlan experience, but alongside that, with Missing You [there] is some real in-depth character work,” says Walters.
“[Executive producer] Victoria Asare-Archer has managed to capture a nice balance. It’s the way these characters speak, the way it flows. A lot of the scenes between me and Rosalind Eleazar were as if we were onstage. You get that freedom to go back and forth. It’s tough with these shows because people need exposition, but a lot of that is disguised within the poetry in this piece.”
When you are number one on a call sheet, it can be quite demanding. But it’s Kat’s emotional journey, as she turns her policing brilliance inwards and unravels her own life and those around her, that grounds the viewer and attracted Eleazar to the role.
“I did find that. This is my first proper lead, and you do feel a responsibility in steering the ship. In some ways, you are the one who is responsible for your whole journey, particularly when you have two directors. Taking on the role was a real shock but a great challenge,” says Eleazar.
“I have quite a strong fascination with trauma and how humans cope with the life events that shape who they are. Kat and her family don’t talk about that trauma, and she doesn’t talk about it with her friends. It has all been firmly closed off for 11 years.
“Kat has a completely different exterior to her interior. Inside, I found her quite childlike and insecure. Outwardly, she is riding a wave and trying to keep herself above water because if she does descend and feel the pain – which I don’t think she has ever let herself feel – her whole world will blow apart. When we meet Kat, I imagine people would think of her as quite a strong person, but we see that getting chipped away.”
For Henry, his preparation of bringing Clint to the small screen included the opportunity to talk to Coben about his character on Zoom.
“It was like doing his Maestro masterclass but without having to pay for it. It was genius! I’ve been watching his [BBC] Maestro series, and his work ethic is extraordinary. The character of Clint was cast colourblind, so it wasn’t necessarily going to be a black guy,” says Henry.
“I love that the characters in Harlan’s books can be played by anyone, as he is interested in what motivates a character rather than where they are from and their race. Characters who are described as “the black guy” aren’t people I want to play anyway. Harlan just says that Clint is a guy who loves his daughter and he’s a copper.”
Eleazar agrees and adds that she thinks Kat is a daddy’s girl, particularly because she was closer to her father than she was to her mother.
“Kat idolises her father in a sort of unhealthy way, which is partly why this story works so well. She just can’t see certain things for how they were,” says Eleazar.
“Whereas her mum isn’t like that. Her mum is more of a realist. Since her dad died, Kat and her mum have got a lot closer. She has a huge amount of respect for her mum but again her mum is also not a person that wants to sit down and go over old ground about Clint’s murder. She is trying to move on, and she would really like Kat to move on as well.
“Brigid [Zengeni] is a fantastic actress. We had a really nice chemistry. It’s the mutual respect of two women but also Kat is still her little girl, and she is still my mum. They are both fighters and survivors.”