Fool Me Once, based on the 2016 novel of the same name, is the latest Harlan Coben adaptation streaming on Netflix. The gripping storyline sees Michelle Keegan playing Maya Stern, an ex-Army combat pilot, troubled by the ghosts of a shortened military career and the recent murders of her sister Claire in a home invasion and her husband Joe in a seemingly unprovoked attack in a public park. Claire Walker’s death, and what she was getting up to before she died, are central to the show’s twisty plot.
Who Plays Claire in Fool Me Once?
Claire Walker is played by Natalie Anderson, an English actress and singer from Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Fool Me Once’s Claire Explained
Claire is the sister of Maya Stern, who was killed in an apparent home invasion while Maya was overseas. She left behind a husband, Eddie, and two teenage children, Abby and Daniel. But she was also hiding many secrets and is integral to the show’s overarching plot.
On the personal side of things, Claire’s kids find an old camera among her belongings and have the film developed, which reveals the existence of a secret half-brother that Claire never told them about. This turns out to be Louis, one of the assistant coaches on Abby’s football team. Claire had met him shortly before her death and used him to help her investigate the conspiracy that would ultimately get her killed.
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Claire worked with Maya’s husband Joe for Joe’s family company, Burkett Global. While Maya was overseas she was responsible for the death of several civilians in a helicopter strike, and her role was exposed by a whistleblower named Corey the Whistle who released video footage of the incident on his website. However, he was dissuaded from releasing the more damning audio by Claire, who volunteered inside secrets from Burkett Global in exchange.
While investigating the company’s corruption, Claire uncovered that Burkett had been falsifying pharmaceutical trial data and releasing dangerous products onto the market. She also uncovered that Joe had killed a fellow schoolboy during his time at an exclusive all-boys academy, and had gone on to kill his own brother shortly afterwards. Joe killed Claire and staged her death as the consequence of a home invasion to keep everything quiet.
As is revealed in the finale of Fool Me Once, Maya began to suspect Joe in Claire’s murder. She was able to prove he did it by forensically matching the bullet used to kill her with the Glock 17 that they both had access to. After having proved this, Maya shot Joe dead.
What is Natalie Anderson Known For?
Natalie Anderson was a singer on the talent show Pop Idol back in 2001 but would find herself moving into acting with roles in UK shows such as Holby City, The Royal, Dalziel and Pascoe, and Wire in the Blood.
She would go on to be a regular in the soap opera Emmerdale and would appear as a regular panelist on the daytime TV talk show Loose Women. She found further work within the realms of UK soap operas, being cast in Hollyoaks, but in 2022 found herself alongside Liam Neeson in the thriller Memory.
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