Why Milo Ventimiglia’s “This Is Us” Persona Was Crucial to “I Will Find You”’s Big Twist (Exclusive)
Why Milo Ventimiglia’s “This Is Us” Persona Was Crucial to “I Will Find You”’s Big Twist (Exclusive)
Charna FlamWed, June 24, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC
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Milo Ventimiglia as Hayden Payne in "I Will Find You."Credit: Courtesy of Netflix -
I Will Find You showrunner Robert Hull spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about the casting process of the Netflix miniseries
"We want people to bring the This Is Us baggage," Hull told PEOPLE of the decision to cast Milo Ventimiglia
The hit Netflix series is adapted from Harlan Coben's novel of the same name
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the season 1 finale of I Will Find You, now streaming on Netflix.
Milo Ventimiglia's storied TV career was beneficial in more ways than one, I Will Find You showrunner Robert Hull tells PEOPLE.
The I Will Find You showrunner spoke exclusively to PEOPLE ahead of the release of the thriller miniseries. The new Netflix series is adapted from Harlan Coben's novel of the same name, which chronicles David (Sam Worthington) after he escapes prison in an attempt to search for his son Matthew, whom David allegedly killed five years earlier. But when David is visited by his former sister-in-law, Rachel (Britt Lower), who may have insight into Matthew's whereabouts, they enlist her ex-boyfriend, Hayden (Ventimiglia), for help.
As the show takes twisty turns each episode, Hayden's true intentions toward Rachel are revealed. After a fertility clinic mix-up led Hayden to believe Matthew was his biological child with Rachel, he kidnaps the 3-year-old boy and keeps him in his care for five years.
But that bait and switch was exactly what Hull wanted from Ventimiglia in the character.
Milo Ventimiglia as Hayden in "I Will Find You."Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Hull explained that the seasoned actor is both an "incredible" actor and person. "We actually knew how lucky we are that we have somebody that oozes genuinely nice guy [attitude]."
"We want people to bring the This Is Us baggage," Hull admitted. "We want people to be like, 'Oh, that's Milo. He's always a good guy.' It makes everything even more impactful in the end."
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Worthington also spoke with PEOPLE and commended Hull and the production team for their decision to cast Ventimiglia as the villain. "It's an interesting choice putting someone like Milo in that kind of role because you very quickly form a bond with him."
"He's a very open, generous, professional actor," Worthington continued. "I don't think he's ever gotten that chance to go on that other side of himself before. So it's interesting when he pushed those dynamics, it was interesting to kind of see where he was taking that character."
The Avatar actor commented that Ventimiglia's beloved character, Jess Mariano, in Gilmore Girls, also contributes to the audience's assumptions about who Hayden is. "You just see it's the guy from Gilmore Girls and that's the good misdirecting in a good way."
Harlan Coben and Robert HullCredit: Ted Belton/Netflix
Ventimiglia previously told PEOPLE that taking on the role of Hayden allowed him to expand audiences' perception of him. "There is a period in my life where Jack Pearson fit. There's a period in my life where other characters that I've played fit. And now I get to bounce around and be a bit mysterious," he said. "I don't know if people are going to see this coming from America's Dad."
When he learned what his role entailed in the new thriller, "I thought, 'Well, this is going to be fun.'"
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I Will Find You is now streaming on Netflix.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
