Richard “Dickie” Greenleaf, the son of a wealthy man, refuses to return home from Italy, setting in motion the events of the show. In Ripley, Johnny Flynn plays Richard.
Richard’s father, the owner of a shipbuilding company, set up a trust fund for him, which Richard now uses to travel.
He has been living in Europe for a few years now and has settled in Italy, refusing to return home to New York.
His parents have not seen him in years; they only occasionally receive a postcard from him. They cannot force him to come back, as they no longer control his trust fund.
Desperate to bring their son home, they employ Tom to convince him to return, unaware that this decision will cost Richard his life.
A life of abundance
In Atrani, Richard decides to pursue painting, even though he does not have the talent for it. Before that, he wanted to be a writer, but he was not good at that either.
Richard knows that he cannot be a painter, but he continues painting because he enjoys it. Tom believes that Richard often wondered whether he would ever be good at anything.
Richard’s father disapproves of his life choices, believing that Richard is avoiding responsibilities by living in Italy. Tom thinks that this disapproval weighs heavily on Richard.
Richard does not value the expensive things that fall into his lap—things that people like Tom can only desire from afar.
Richard has never had a job in his life, and he never wanted for anything, which is why it does not matter to him if he gets scammed.
It does not take much effort on Tom’s part to convince Richard that they ran in the same circles in New York and later earn Richard’s trust; all he has to do is confess that his father sent him to bring him back.
Richard then invites Tom to live with him, which leads to Tom becoming part of Richard’s life, much to the displeasure of Marge, Richard’s girlfriend.
Richard’s death
Eventually, Richard realizes that Tom has been taking advantage of him and decides to part ways with him. He takes Tom on one last trip to San Remo to deliver the news to him gently.
However, Tom does not take it well and kills Richard. He throws Richard’s body, tied to the anchor, into the ocean, after which he assumes Richard’s identity and lives his life.
Tom’s actions lead to Richard being branded a murderer. Tom tells several lies about Richard, including the lie about Richard taking his own life much later than his actual death.
What is surprising is that it was not Richard’s family or Marge, but rather Tom, the man who became Richard Greenleaf, who truly saw him for what he was.
Also Read: Pietro Ravini: Ripley character explained