Westworld star opens up on surprise season 4 return

Westworld spoilers follow.

Westworld season four already promised fans that James Marsden would be returning for the sci-western's new episodes, but the details have been kept firmly under wraps.

Until yesterday (June 26), that is, where Marsden made his long-awaited comeback in the season four premiere. However, speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Marsden and his co-star Evan Rachel Wood stopped short of confirming whether this is the same Teddy Flood we knew from previous seasons.

However, Marsden did say that his exit from the show wasn't planned to be permanent.

"I knew I was gonna go away for a bit but I couldn’t tell anyone for a good couple of years," he explained. "I knew I was going to go away at the end of the second second. I didn’t know for how long."

james marsden and evan rachel wood in hbo's westworld

HBO

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Marsden's return was confirmed earlier this month, with the actor making a surprise appearance on the Westworld panel at the ATX Festival.

"Sometimes you have to go away to come back," he teased, before leaning in to the series' baffling premise.

"We learn to speak cryptically on this show," he continued. This has been seven years of our show and yeah, it's an amazing thing to be a part of and see where the story goes."

Clearly thrilled to be back in the saddle, he added: "From the beginning, I didn't know where it was all gonna go but I'm glad to see it now."

HBO

James Marsden isn't the only familiar face heading back to Westworld for its new run – Evan Rachel Wood is also returning (although not as the Dolores we once knew), as is Ed Harris' The Man in Black.

Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Aaron Paul, Luke Hemsworth, and Angela Sarafyan round off the cast, along with Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, who's joined the drama in a mysterious recurring role.

For more information on Westworld's latest foray into the unknown, and for the all-important details on how to watch the show in the US and UK, head to Digital Spy's explainer here.

Westworld season 4 airs on HBO in the US, and on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK.