He’ll return for a guest stint in the Spring
EastEnders bosses have announced that Rob Kazinsky is to reprise his role as Sean Slater for a short stint in the Spring - and fans are seriously happy!
Sean – the son of Jean Slater and sister of Stacey Fowler – was last in the soap on New Year’s Day, 2009, when he fled Walford after plunging into a frozen lake with then wife, Roxy.
The character had spiralled out of control after discovering that he wasn’t the biological father of Roxy’s daughter, Amy, and drove the three of them to the lake, intending to drown them as a family.
Fans reacted with glee to the revelation that Rob is coming back as Sean...
Since leaving EastEnders, 35 year old Rob has carved out a successful career in the US, with roles in films including Pacific Rim, Hot Pursuit and Warcraft: The Beginning, and TV series including True Blood and Brothers & Sisters.
Show bosses haven’t revealed what will bring Sean back to the square, but his arrival is likely to ruffle a few feathers, not just with the Slater family but with Ruby Allen. The pair had a relationship in 2006 and later got engaged, but broke up when Ruby discovered Sean had cheated on her and was only with her for her money.
Says Rob: “This year marked ten years since Sean fled from Walford after plunging into a frozen lake; a decade since I left the studio at Elstree and Sean Slater behind to move to the USA to chase a dream that seemed so far-fetched.
"Throughout my career, I have always felt that my best work was on EastEnders as Sean Slater, that there was something there in him that I understood completely; something traumatic, something that we never really got to show the viewers. I have unfinished business in Albert Square, and am thrilled to be returning to what I still consider to be my home, however briefly.
“EastEnders is still the most important serial on British television, never afraid to combat hard storylines and tell hard truths. I have always been proud of what EastEnders has done for social awareness throughout my lifetime, and that is why I’m back; to tell a story that means something to me with the family that I know can tell it right.”
Adds the show’s Senior Executive Producer, Kate Oates: “I’m beyond delighted to see Rob back in Albert Square, and back at the heart of the Slater family. As an actor, Rob created a modern EastEnders icon in Sean and, as a creative, he has had much input in his returning story.
“It’s exciting to work with an actor with Rob’s drive, passion and eye for detail, and I can’t wait to see the impact his arrival has on the Square amidst those who loved or loathed the troubled Sean Slater.”
EastEnders continues on BBC1.
