Welsh comedy icon Ruth Jones has shared details of the intense and 'serious' gun training she underwent for her dramatic new role in Netflix's latest Harlan Coben adaptation, Run Away. The actress, best known as Nessa in Gavin & Stacey, transforms into sharp private investigator Elena Ravenscroft in the hit series.
From Comedy to Crime: A Dramatic Transformation
The 59-year-old star admitted that handling a firearm on set was a complete first for her, requiring rigorous professional instruction. 'We had proper serious training for it, it was all taken very seriously – as it should be,' Jones told Radio Times. She confessed that mastering the weapon had an unexpected effect, stating, 'I'd be lying if I said that it didn't make me feel a little bit kind of powerful onscreen.'
An 'Astonishing' On-Set Experience
Jones recalled filming a particularly complex flashback scene involving a shootout in an abandoned factory, which she dubbed an 'astonishing experience'. She expressed amazement at the scale of the production, noting, 'I was gobsmacked at how many people were involved in setting up a scene like that.' The process was a steep learning curve, where she discovered the mechanics of 'squibs' – small explosive devices used to simulate bullet impacts – and learned to handle loud firearms loaded with blanks.
Run Away: A New Harlan Coben Hit
The thriller, which launched on Netflix on New Year's Day, has already garnered an impressive score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. It stars Jones alongside James Nesbitt, who plays father Simon, whose life unravels when his daughter Paige (Ellie de Lange) disappears. The series is based on Coben's 2019 novel of the same name.
The show joins a successful roster of Coben adaptations for streaming services, including Netflix's Fool Me Once and The Stranger, and Prime Video's Lazarus. Run Away also features a stellar supporting cast including Minnie Driver as Simon's wife Ingrid, Alfred Enoch as detective Isaac Fagbenle, and Annette Badland as an IT expert aiding Jones's character.
Early viewer reactions on Rotten Tomatoes have been largely positive, with one fan writing, 'This is the first Harlan Coben adaptation that I actually liked watching,' while others praised its engaging, if slightly bonkers, plot.
