Season 2 of Westworld is finally upon us, and that means new characters, cast members, and storylines. One actor joining the show is well known for his previous work (and his superstar family).
Here's a rundown of everything you need to know about Westworld's Gustaf Skarsgård.
He is indeed related to the other Skarsgårds.
Gustaf is one of Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård's eight children (catch Stellan this summer reprising his role as Bill in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again). Gustaf, Alexander, Bill, and Valter are all actors, while their brother Sam is a doctor and sister Eija is a model. Stellan also has two young children with his second wife.
Gustaf is the second oldest (he's 37), after Alexander, who may or may not be reappearing on season two of another hit HBO show, Big Little Lies. And their brother Bill recently terrified us when he starred as Pennywise in the 2017 remake of It.
They are super famous in Sweden.
They're certainly famous in the U.S., but the Skarsgård family are highly regarded for their thespian pursuits in their native Sweden. "They are definitely considered acting royalty,” Swedish writer Jan Gradvall told the New York Post. “Remarkably enough, they seem to be liked by everyone in Sweden. All of them are nonpretentious and easygoing."
Stellan's work is particularly well known. He has appeared in Good Will Hunting (1997), The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Mamma Mia! (2008), and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Dead Man's Chest (2007 and 2006).
Skarsgård plays Karl Strand on Westworld.
His character, Delos' head of operations, is described as "a white-collar guy comfortable in the field," Deadline reports, and a photo from season 2 shows him working with Bernard (Jeffrey Wright), Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth), and Maling (Betty Gabriel) in the park.
You might recognize him from another hit show...or maybe not.
Skarsgård has been playing Floki on History's Vikings since 2013. He's actually one of the few original main characters who has not yet been killed off (R.I.P. Ragnar, Siggy, and Athelstan). Floki is the town boat builder, and explores new worlds with best friend Ragnar Lothbrok. Strand is a big departure from his Vikings look, and fans are freaking out over the actor's different guise in Westworld.
He will continue to play Floki on Vikings, in addition to his new role, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.
His actorly peers consider him to be one of the greats.
Three-time Oscar winner Daniel Day Lewis once lauded Skarsgård as "one of the truly great." He has done well with a super complex character on Vikings, so you can expect something interesting from him on Westworld.
