Believe it or not, Rosalind Eleazar is used to playing wilder characters in Netflix series than Detective Kat Donovan Miss you.

However, that didn’t stop the filming from getting pretty intense.

The latest from the streamer’s list of Harlan Coben adaptations: Miss you follows the story of Slow horses Star Eleazar as a detective who specializes in missing people.

Eleven years ago, her fiancé Josh (played by Ashley Walters), the love of her life, disappeared without a trace. Now, as she swipes through profiles on a dating app, she sees his face and her world threatens to explode again. The experience forces her to delve once again into the mystery surrounding her father’s (Lenny Henry) murder and uncover long-hidden secrets from her past. Coben told a panel in London that the show had “the most emotional ending I’ve ever experienced,” adding that he “actually cried.”

With twists at every possible point, the new show, adapted by Victoria Asare-Archer, is an experience for both its characters and its viewers. What follows is the five-part series (which was released worldwide on Netflix on January 1st). Fool me onceanother adaptation of the author’s novels starring Michelle Keegan, which became the streaming giant’s most-watched TV show of 2024 and the eighth most popular show of all time.

Now it’s Eleazar’s turn. At the British star’s side is the dream team Walters, Henry, Richard Armitage, Jessica Plummer, Matt Willis and James Nesbitt. The actress shares a spoiler-free conversation below The Hollywood Reporter on the universal appeal of Coben’s lyrics, the show’s UK setting and the reality of unpredictable reception: “I don’t know what people will think. I’m so close to the project, it’s like removing a piece of skin.”

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Well, this is really an emotional rollercoaster for Kat.

She doesn’t have much time to think or breathe because she’s bombarded with one revelation after another. In a normal world you would ask her to take a break and talk to someone about it, but that won’t happen in Harlan Coben’s world! She is resilient, she picks herself up and doesn’t stay in a place where she is in pain for too long. She’s a survivor and wants to get answers. She’s been through a lot of trauma and I think you always have to be very sensitive when taking on characters who have had real experiences.

How did you get the lead role? Miss you?

I was asked to audition for it in September 2023, I think it was August or September. And there was only one episode (to read) so I read the book quickly and really enjoyed it. I loved Kat in the book, I think she’s a little different in the book than the show. I think she’s a little more reserved in the book. The team wanted her to be more at the forefront of the show. And then, I don’t know when I got the part – it would have been October – and then we shot in January.

Were you a fan of Harlan Coben before you were invited to audition?

I loved his books. I had seen a few of his series and also the French film called Don’t tell anyone (2006). I think that was actually my first encounter with him.

Did you watch? Fool me once on Netflix?

Yes. It’s just so fun to eat, isn’t it? (Coben is so) extraordinary in the way he puts twists together. When I first read, Miss youWhen I read the ending, I couldn’t believe this was where the story was going. I was so sure it was something else. And I honestly don’t know who can do it better than him, you know?

It’s perfect January TV material. Fool me once was the most-watched series on Netflix worldwide last year. Given the release of your series, is that a daunting thought?

I think it’s exciting rather than daunting because if it has a following and people love the shows, if it’s word of mouth and people see it and say, “Yeah, let’s check it out.” Miss you“Then that’s really exciting. But let’s put it this way: That doesn’t surprise me Fool me once was one of the most-watched series of all time on Netflix. I think it’s really clever how (Harlan) does it.

It was also really interesting to see how the authors brought these US-set stories to the UK. That changes things a bit, don’t you think?

I do think it changes things. I mean, he’s done shows set in France. He said earlier that he’s planning one in Argentina – he has (projects) in about six different countries. And I thought, what is it about these shows that you can put them anywhere? And I think he really writes in a universal way. Because when I read the book I thought, “Okay, this is really different.” It’s supposedly set nowhere, but we shot it in Manchester, England. And you ask yourself: How should this be translated? But somehow they just always do it and they work.

And these Coben novels are not for the faint of heart…

Complete. It was a really intense shoot, especially with this story. Harlan and I spoke earlier and it’s really about one person. It follows (Kat) very, very closely, whereas some of the other Harlan series have had different subplots that are all intertwined. This has a lot to do with Kat’s personal journey. There are so many events happening every day in a short period of time. There was a shock, a revelation, there was an event. But I love it. I prefer intensity to the opposite of intensity.

Is Harlan involved in the filming or writing process?

He is involved. I could ask him anything I wanted. I mainly spoke to the executive producer and series writer Victoria (Asare-Archer), who adapted the series, but he is involved. He’s also an executive producer, so he’s in the thick of things when it comes to making decisions and saying what he wants and what he doesn’t want.

Is Kat very different from other characters you’ve played before?

I think that’s her. All the characters I have played are different. She’s, shall we say, a little more “normal” than I’ve ever played before. I tend to play characters that are a little wilder and more extreme in their nature and energy. So she’s probably about as normal or ordinary (compared to what I’ve played), which again is interesting because I haven’t really done that yet. In my previous works I played a drug addict or, I don’t know. There are plenty of examples. This was a bit more straightforward across the board, which is another reason I wanted to do it. I want every job I do to feel different to me and challenge me. And I can’t think of anything worse than playing the same character over and over again. And you know, chances are that after this show I’ll probably be asked, “Would you like to hear about the role of detective?” (Laughs.) This is how things work in our industry.

And how do you think audiences will react to it? Miss you?

It’s hard to predict. I think I’m so close to the project that it’s hard for me to even summarize it or the series because it’s so close to me. It’s like removing a piece of skin. Or if someone said, “Oh, what’s your personality?” I don’t know what my personality is. For example, ask my mother. So I don’t know what people will think about it. I hope they are entertained, and I hope they truly follow and empathize with Kat’s journey.

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Miss you is now streaming on Netflix.