Instructions Not Included — Characters & Cast

To protect Maggie's happiness and shield her from the pain of her mother's abandonment.

Starts as a cowardly, commitment-phobic playboy. Through raising Maggie, he discovers a reservoir of courage he didn't know he possessed, ultimately learning that true bravery isn't the absence of fear, but acting in spite of it for love.

To love her father and eventually meet her mother, whom she idolizes through Valentín's stories.

She serves as the catalyst for Valentín's growth. While she appears to be the one being protected, she is actually the one guiding Valentín, serving as his translator (literally and metaphorically) and anchor.

Guilt and a desire to reclaim the family she abandoned, complicated by her new stable life.

Initially the antagonist who abandons her child, she returns as a successful lawyer seeking redemption and custody. Her character forces the confrontation between biological rights and earned parenthood.