Why Aron Trask From Netflix's East Of Eden Looks So Familiar

Joe Anders, who plays Aron Trask in Netflix's "East of Eden" alongside Florence Pugh and Mike Faist, has already appeared in several notable projects, including the Apple TV adaptation "Cape Fear." The Netflix series adapts John Steinbeck's 74-year-old novel, which is loosely inspired by the biblical story of Cain and Abel and follows two farming families in California's Salinas Valley as their lives intertwine. Anders plays one of Cathy (Pugh) and Adam's (Christopher Abbott) twin sons. 

Before playing a golden boy who takes a dark turn in "East of Eden," Anders made his on-screen debut in a harrowing war film directed by his father. The actor appeared in "1917," directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes, but was credited under a different name. At the time, Anders went by Joe Mendes, changing his surname in 2022 as he sought to build a Hollywood career that wasn't directly tied to his family.

Since then, he's starred in the biopic "Lee," in which his mother, Kate Winslet, played the lead, and in the queer teen romance "Bonus Track," co-written by Josh O'Connor. Yet the role that audiences are most likely to know him for is Zack Bowden in "Cape Fear," where he plays the son of Anna Bowden (Amy Adams), with Adams' performance landing her a spot on TVLine's Performer of the Week.

Although Joe Anders is focused on furthering his acting career, he has also ventured into screenwriting. In 2025, Kate Winslet directed and starred in her son's Christmas film, "Goodbye June," which Anders originally wrote as a class assignment. He drew inspiration from his own experience with grief following his grandmother's death. 

The film marked Winslet's directorial debut and centers on June's (Helen Mirren) final days in the hospital as her family reunites for a bittersweet holiday season. Winslet told People that after workshopping the script with Anders, she realized she wanted to direct it herself. "It's one of those things where I feel like even if I never, ever get to do it again in my whole career, for whatever reason, that I did this and I did this at this time in my life when I was really ready to do it... I feel really proud of us, and I feel really proud of the film," she said.

After "East of Eden," Anders will star in the romantic thriller "Black Palace," set in Jack-the-Ripper-era London. He will appear opposite "The Witcher" star Freya Allan and Academy Award nominee Kodi Smit-McPhee. The film, directed by Nick Hamm, is in post-production.