HBO Head of Operations
A new character is introduced in the Season 2 premiere of Westworld tonight. He is talking a lot with Bernard, and seems to play an important role. Here is everything we know about him so far.
The man we see with Bernard, almost from the moment Bernard wakes up, is Karl Strand. Karl is the Head of Operations of Delos, and he seems to be pretty important to the company’s operations.
And no, you’re not imagining things. We haven’t seen Karl on the show before. He’s a new introduction and never appeared in Season 1. But he’s able to pretty much order everyone around, so he definitely has seniority even over Bernard and Stubbs.
If his title sounds familiar, that’s because Theresa had a similar title. She was Head of Quality Assurance or Westworld, and a senior manager at Delos. But she wasn’t quite up to Strand’s level.
Strand is described by HBO as a “white-collar guy comfortable in the field.” Some other descriptions say that he’s the Head of Delos Security. He’s rumored to have a military background.
Strand is played by Gustaf Skarsgard. The Swedish actor is currently on the History Channel’s Vikings, playing the role of Floki. That’s probably why he looks so familiar to you. He also played in Peter Weir’s The Way Back with Ed Harris, and was in a Scandinavian drama Kon-Tiki. His other credits include Darling, Autumn Blood, Vi, The Big Leap, Happy End, Arn: The Knight Templar, Kidz in da Hood, The Color of Milk, Cleo (Jonas), The Invisible, and more.
And yes, if his name sounds familiar, there’s a reason. His brother is Alexander Skarskgard, known for Big Little Lies, True Blood, Generation Kill, and more. He has three other actor brothers too. Sam Skarsgard has only done a little work as a crew member and an actor. Valter has starred in Fun House, Black Lake, Arn: The Knight Templar, and more. Bill Skarsgard has credits that include Castle Rock, It (Pennywise), Hemlock Grove, and more. And their father is Stellan Skarsgard, known for many credits that include The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, River, Quarry, Red Brazil, Thor: The Dark World, Thor, Arn: The Knight Templar, Entourage, Mamma Mia!, King Arthur, Helen of Troy, Ronin, The Kingdom, Insomnia, SMASH, and much more.
Here are some fans’ comments on Gustaf’s role:
Just watched the #Westworld S2 premiere. It’s good, but my main takeaway is how clean and handsome Gustaf Skarsgård can be when he’s not scruffed up as Floki.
📷 Gustaf Skarsgård (Karl Strand) attends the premiere of the second season of HBO’s ‘Westworld’ at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, California, on 16 April 2018. #Westworld #GustafSkarsgård #KarlStrand @WestworldHBO
Trailer for s2 of Westworld looks awesome, ridiculously excited to see Gustaf Skarsgard in it (although that doesn’t bode well for Floki 😫).