Some five years after it was announced, Andrew Scott’s take on infamously charming fictional sociopath Tom Ripley is finally coming to our screens.
Based loosely on the 1955 novel by Patricia Highsmith – which was also adapted into an acclaimed 1999 film – it tells the story of a con artist who swindles his way into the high life by befriending wealthy socialite Dickie Greenleaf.
The show boasts a star-studded cast and a plot with plenty of hairpin twists and turns – as well as being shot in classy black and white. Here’s our breakdown of who’s playing whom...
Andrew Scott as Thomas "Tom" Ripley
Andrew Scott plays the talented Mr Ripley of the show’s title. A small-time confidence trickster who’s struggling to make ends meet in New York City, Ripley’s luck turns when he’s approached by businessman Herbert Greenleaf.
Greenleaf’s son Dickie has fled to Italy to avoid joining the family business and Ripley (who says he’s an acquaintance of Dickie) is charged with bringing him back. This doesn’t go entirely to plan, and Ripley soon yearns for Dickie’s lifestyle.
Scott himself is an established star on both sides of the Atlantic. Born in Dublin in 1976, he balanced school with weekend acting classes, and appeared in his first time role – in the film Korea – at the age of 17. He moved to London five years later and from there worked his way through a variety of smaller roles.
His breakthrough into the mainstream was as the villainous, scenery-chewing Jim Moriarty in the BBC’s Sherlock, opposite Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes in 2010. Ever since then he’s been a mainstay on our screens – as Fleabag’s Hot Priest, in Black Mirror, and most recently in romantic drama All Of Us Strangers opposite Paul Mescal.
Now, he’s in Ripley. "You don't play the opinions, the previous attitudes that people might have about Tom Ripley,” he’s said about the role. “I have to have the courage to create our own version and my own understanding of the character... It was a heavy part to play. I found it mentally and physically really hard.”
Johnny Flynn as Richard "Dickie" Greenleaf
The easy-going Dickie is the son of a shipping magnate and tremendously rich. He has also fled to Italy with the aim of avoiding family responsibilities – and Ripley is hired to bring him back home.
Flynn himself is both an actor and a singer-songwriter (he plays in a band, Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit). Born in 1983 in Johannesburg, he won a music scholarship first to Pilgrims School in Winchester and then to Bedales. He was one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow in 2005, and broke through in Channel 4’s romcom series Love Sick as the main character, Dylan.
Since then, he’s appeared in films such as 2020’s Emma (in which he played Mr Knightley opposite Anya Taylor-Joy’s Emma) and as the young Nicholas Wynton in 2023 film One Life.
Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood
Marge is Dickie’s friend, who becomes romantically involved with him as their Italian holiday progresses. When Ripley appears on the scene, she quickly becomes suspicious of him.
Fanning has been acting since the age of five. Born in Georgia to a tennis player and a baseball player, she started off in small plays before appearing in NBC medical drama ER as a car accident victim with leukaemia. Two years later, she became the youngest ever person to be nominated for a SAG Award for her work in 2001 film I Am Sam.
Over the years, she’s appeared in films including The Secret Life of Bees, War of the Worlds and even in the Twilight saga as vampire Jane.
Eliot Sumner as Eddie Miles
Eddie is Dickie’s close friend, who arrives in Italy shortly after Ripley does and stays at his Italian villa. The pair rapidly develop a strong disliking of each other.
Sumner is an English songwriter and actor. Born in Italy in 1990, they are the child of Sting and Trudie Styler and grew up on the family’s estate near Stonehenge. The family gave Sumner their first guitar at four or five, and they wrote their first song at 13, before signing a record deal with Island Records at the age of 17.
Their first band, I Blame Coco, released their debut album in 2010 (Coco was Sumner’s nickname growing up). Since then, they’ve also ventured into acting, most recently appearing in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen.
Maurizio Lombardi as Inspector Pietro Ravini
Not much is known about Lombardi’s character, but given his title, we can assume he’s part of the Italian police squad who set about investigating Ripley’s actions as the drama unfolds. No spoilers here, but things are set to get messy.
Lombardi himself is an Italian acting legend. Born in 1973, he decided to become an actor after reading The Count of Monte Cristo aged 14. Since then, he’s appeared in 2016 show The Young Pope with Jude Law, 2020’s The New Pope opposite John Malkovich and Italian crime series Monterossi.
Francesca Romana Bergamo as Ermelinda
Ermelinda is Dickie Greenleaf’s housekeeper and cook at his private home. In the book, this is in Mongibello (a made up town on the coast); the TV series hints at Rome.
Neapolitan actress Francesca Bergamo has, up until now, mainly appeared in Italian language shows. Educated at the San Carlo di Napoli theatre, her main roles have included films such as Il ricordo di una lacrima (2015), Ivan e il suo strano tempo (2013) and Il ballo dei pomodori (2016).
John Malkovich as TBC
What role will the multi-talented John Malkovich be playing? So far, it has been kept under wraps, but the addition of Malkovich – who himself has played Ripley in 2002’s Ripley’s Game – is sure to spice up the show. He almost requires no introduction, but we’ll give him one anyway: born in Illinois in 1953, he made his start in 1976 when he joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.
From there, he went on to appear in films such as Empire of the Sun (1987), Of Mice and Men (1992), Being John Malkovich (1999) and even the first Johnny English film in 2003. He’s dabbled in fashion (he set up his own fashion company, Mrs Mudd, in 2002) and has been an artistic muse (in 2014, photographer Sandro Muller released an exhibition of 35 iconic portraits of the actor).
Margherita Buy as TBC
Italian actress Margherita Buy has a career spanning decades. A native of Rome, she was born in 1962 and broke through in Duccio Tessari's Una grande storia d'amore (1986). She’s gone on to appear in numerous Italian-language films and TV shows – and is best known for Mia madre (2015), The Ignorant Fairies (2001) and Days and Clouds (2007).
