Who’s Who in the East of Eden Cast? Meet Every Member of the Family Tree

Adam is the older of Cyrus’s two sons. He becomes a soldier, following in his father’s military footsteps, and then roams the country before returning home to their farm in Connecticut. After Cathy shows up on their doorstep and they take her in, he falls in love with her. They get married and move to California, where they have twin boys, Cal and Aron. Adam is mild-mannered and believes there is good in Cathy, even when everyone else does not. Costa D’Angelo portrays adolescent Adam and Asher Whitehead plays young Adam.

Abbott’s acting credits: Girls, Poor Things, and Catch-22.

Charles is the son of Cyrus and Alice and the younger half brother of Adam. When Adam goes away to join the army, Charles stays behind to tend to their farm. He is more aggressive and violent than his brother and resents his father’s favoritism. Unlike Adam, he does not trust Cathy. Tom Sweet portrays adolescent Charles and Gus Turner plays young Charles.

Faist’s acting credits: Challengers and 2021’s West Side Story.

Cathy shows up on the Trasks’ doorstep bruised and bloodied and hiding a lot of secrets. She fled home at a young age and was a sex worker before encountering Adam and Charles. After recovering from her injuries on the Trask farm, she marries Adam and moves with him to California. She gives birth to twin sons, Cal and Aron, but does not want to be a mother. In Steinbeck’s novel, Cathy represents evil. In both the book and show, she is introduced with the line: “I believe there are monsters in this world born to human parents.” In her younger years, Cathy is portrayed by Vaughan Reilly.

Pugh’s acting credits: Little Women, Don’t Worry Darling, and Midsommar.

Cal, born Caleb, is one of Adam and Cathy’s twin boys. He grows up to be a complicated young man who’s troubled by the absence of his mother and fears becoming like her. Like his uncle Charles, Cal struggles to earn his father’s approval. If you watched the 1955 film, this is the role played by James Dean.

Bodhi Aisher portrays young Cal.

Zada’s acting credits: We Were Liars and the upcoming Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

Like Adam compared with Charles, Aron is milder than his twin brother Cal and is favored by their father, Adam. He has a girlfriend, Abra Bacon, and gets into college at Stanford University. But an unearthed family secret sends him on a downward spiral. Jonah Wren Phillips portrays young Aron.

Anders’s acting credits: Apple TV’s Cape Fear and Goodbye June.

Lee starts his journey as a servant in the Trask home and evolves into a caretaker and, later, a second father figure to Cal and Aron. An avid reader of philosophy, he dreams of opening his own bookshop. He was born in California, but he is still discriminated against because he is Chinese. He bonds with the Trasks’ neighbor, Samuel Hamilton, as fellow outsiders.

Lee’s acting credits: Your Friends & Neighbors, Banshee, and Warrior.

Samuel is an Irish immigrant whom Adam encounters when he moves to the Salinas Valley in California. As a neighbor to the couple, he helps Adam and Cathy settle into their ranch home and assists with the delivery of their twin boys. Samuel and his wife Liza share eight children together. Though they are featured more heavily in Steinbeck’s novel, they are not in the series.

Hinds’s acting credits: Belfast, Game of Thrones, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Faye is the owner of the brothel where Cathy works (though there she’s known as Kate). She doesn’t just run a business but looks out for the well-being of her girls. She and Cathy develop a very close, mother-daughter-like relationship, though Cathy’s motives behind their bond are questionable.

Plimpton’s acting credits: Task, The Goonies, and Raising Hope.

Abra is a friend of the Trask boys who becomes involved with Aron. She is sweet and soft-spoken but also hints at having a dark side. She develops a close bond with Lee.

Phillips’s acting credits: Netflix’s My Brilliant Career.