Run Away star says that "right steps" are being taken for disability representation – but more needs to be done

At one point taking the top spot on Netflix's global TV charts, the Harlan Coben thriller Run Away has continued to grip viewers with its various twists and turns. The drama has all of Coben's signature flair, following a father who is on a search for his daughter but who gets caught up in a darker mystery in the process.

As well as fan reactions to the twists, there have also been plenty of online comments about one of the show's characters, Anya, who is played by actress Ellie Henry. The former Hollyoaks star features in the series as one of James Nesbitt's on-screen children but since Run Away's release, some viewers took to social media to ask questions about Henry's wheelchair usage.

While Henry has taken such comments in her stride and continues to shine a light on ambulatory wheelchair usage, she says that in terms of disability representation in British TV that things are heading in the right direction – but that there's always room for improvement.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Henry said: "I feel like the right steps really are being taken. I feel like we’re starting to see the right representation in shows – you’ve got Russell T Davies using wheelchair users, in soaps they’re starting to show more neurodivergence."

She continues: "I think we’re heading in the right direction but the statistics still don’t match up. The amount of disabled people in real life, the percentage of that within the country is not matching up with what you’re seeing on screen. I think the more disabled people you see on screen, the better the attitude to disabled people is in real life.

"So I think they just need to cast us. We are out here, we do exist. My agency only represents disabled people so the right places to look exist. When you have an open-minded casting director, that really is the first step."

As for her own hopes for the future and what roles she's hoping to take on next, she says: "I’m really hopeful that I’ll continue to play characters that weren’t previously disabled or haven’t just been written because they’re disabled. I’d love to tell stories that you wouldn’t expect like just – a wheelchair user can be a drug dealer, a wheelchair user can be a criminal, a wheelchair user can be a mum in a family.

"There are just so many elements where people just see a wheelchair and get stuck at that. Doing Run Away has shown that that doesn’t need to be the case. Going forward, I’m just really hopeful that I’ll be in more situations exactly like I have been in."

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Although Anya's story is far from the focal point of the propulsive thriller, Henry says that she has received so many positive messages from other wheelchair users or those who share the same disability as hers.

Chatting about the reception to Run Away, Henry reveals that "it’s amazing", saying: "I’ve had so many messages on Instagram from people saying they have the same disability and they’ve never seen it on screen before, they feel really represented. For me, growing up, I knew what I wanted to do and that I wanted to be an actor, this was where I wanted to end up. I hadn’t seen it so I didn’t know if that was quite possible.

"So, the whole way through training and auditioning in the industry, I wasn’t sure if that was a negative or if I wasn’t going to be employed because of it. Our casting director Orla Maxwell who casted Run Away is amazing. They gave me the job regardless."

She adds: "Anya wasn’t written in the book as a wheelchair user but they just saw past that because at the end of the day, I’m an actor and I can deliver the character. So whether or not she’s in a wheelchair or stood up, shouldn’t really matter and I’m glad they looked at it that way."

Run Away is available to stream on Netflix – sign up from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media.

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