The acclaimed actor stars as the sweet-natured Adam Trask in Netflix’s East of Eden
East of Eden is now streaming on Netflix(Image: Netflix)
East of Eden viewers are wondering where they’ve seen one of the show’s stars before.
The Netflix series is an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel of the same name and stars a glittering cast including Florence Pugh as literary legend Cathy Ames, while Mike Faist and Christopher Abbott portray the brothers who fall for her, Charles and Adam Trask.
Netflix’s synopsis reads: “This fresh interpretation of Steinbeck’s masterpiece will explore the multigenerational saga of the Trask family, focusing new attention on its indelible antihero, Cathy Ames.”
The seven-part series arrived on the streaming platform just last week and it is currently at the top of Netflix’s most-watched TV series in the UK list. As fans dive in to the episodes, many have wondered about one particular cast member.
Christopher Abbott plays the sweet-natured Adam Trask who shows kindness to Cathy Ames when she appears bloodied and beaten at the door of his home, shared with his brother, who at first is much more sceptical of their new arrival. Adam nurses her back to health and they go on to marry.
Even before he whisks her away to California however, cracks have started to show. While it is a place he has always dreamed of, Cathy does not share that dream and she makes no secret of it.
Google searches for Christopher Abbott’s past movies and TV shows have soared since East of Eden’s debut, so where might viewers know the star from?
What films and TV shows has Christopher Abbott been in?
His breakout role was as Charlie Dattolo in the HBO series Girls. He was a recurring cast member, portraying the kind boyfriend of Marnie Michaels (Allison Williams). More recently he has had leading roles in Poor Things alongside Emma Stone, 2025 horror film Wolf Man and 2022 comedy-thriller, Sanctuary.
He is no stranger to literary adaptations and previously took the lead role of Yossarian in Catch-22, a TV series based on the Joseph Heller novel of the same name.
Discussing his role as Adam, Christopher told Netflix’s Tudum: “He’s a character that has lived a lot of different lives, and he’s sort of changed his personality throughout it.
“He starts off, like, hopping trains and living like a vagabond and stealing stuff and then becomes a different human when he has son. It’s a big epic arc to track.”
East of Eden is now streaming on Netflix.