Seasoned genre actor Sebastian Roché was tapped to play the role of King Stefan in the upcoming episodes of "Once Upon a Time" season 4.
Roché, who is currently portraying the role of Mikael in "The Originals" and "The Vampire Diaries," is also known for playing the role of Balthazar in "Supernatural," as well as Thomas Jerome Newton in the hit sci-fi series "Fringe." The 50-year-old actor will now appear in ABC's popular fairy tale drama as Aurora's (Sarah Bolger) father.
According to the exclusive report by Entertainment Weekly, King Stefan shared a "complicated past" with Kristin Bauer Van Straten's character Maleficent. There is limited information about King Stefan's personality in the series, but considering his past relationship with Maleficent, it is safe to assume that Roché's character can be a little shady. Will he be the new villain in the show?
But King Stefan will not be the only new character in Storybrooke since several other actors have been announced to join the cast of "Once Upon a Time" season 4.
Last weekend, Ernie Hudson from the "Ghostbusters" fame is set to portray the role of Poseidon, Ursula's (Merrin Dungey) nemesis. JoAnna Garcia Swisher, on the other hand, will reprise her role as Ariel in the series.
Other fan-favorite characters will also return after the show's winter hiatus like August Booth, or more popularly known as Pinocchio. The character, played by Eion Bailey, was last seen in the second season of the show. He was initially killed by Tamara (Sonequa Martin-Green) but was restored to life by the Blue Fairy (Keegan Connor Tracy) because of his selfless deeds.
Pinocchio's new story arc is still being kept under wraps as the series creators refuse to divulge more information about how the character will interact with the Storybrooke residents in the coming episodes.
"Once Upon a Time" season 4 returns on March 1, 2015 after its winter break.
