Press Release
Morgana realizes the path to Emrys and the throne of Camelot might just be quickest going through the powerful wizard Alator in “The Kindness of Strangers,” an all-new episode of MERLIN that premieres Friday, May 10, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Syfy.
In the tenth episode of the final season of MERLIN, Morgana leads a terrifying manhunt in pursuit of her old foe Alator of the Catha, for she knows without doubt that he can tell her exactly where to find Emrys. Merlin’s life has never been in more danger, so when the mysterious Finna (Sorcha Cusack) offers to help him, is he right to trust her? Or will he find himself cornered with nowhere to run?
In reprising the role of Alator, Gary Lewis continues the MERLIN tradition of notable guest stars appearing throughout the series’ five seasons. The Scottish actor is best known to American audiences for his international breakthrough role as the father in Billy Elliot, and for memorable appearances in Gangs of New York, Eragon and Goal! The Dream Begins.
“Throughout the production, we’ve had some very particular actors in mind for many of these weighty roles, and we’ve been very lucky to almost always get the first actor we wanted,” says co-creator and executive producer Johnny Capps. “Sometimes even before we wrote the scripts, we contacted actors with just the storylines, and got positive reactions. So to be able to move forward knowing we had interest from James Callis or Charles Dance or Janet Montgomery has been quite a blessing.”
Over the series’ 65 episodes, there have been guest roles filled by such noteworthy actors as Callis (Battlestar Galactica), Montgomery (Entourage), Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine), Frank Finlay (The Pianist, The Three Musketeers), Santiago Cabrera (Heroes), Colin Salmon (three James Bond films, Dr. Who), Clive Russell (Sherlock Holmes, Ripper Street), Josette Simon (Cry Freedom, Milk and Honey), Adam Godley (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Terence Maynard (Reign of Fire), Sarah Parish (Dr. Who), Robert Maillet (Sherlock Holmes, 300), James Greene (Empire of the Sun), James Fox (The Remains of the Day), Donald Sumpter (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Melanie Hill (Stardust), David Schofield (Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean films), and John Shrapnel (Notting Hill).
Fans of HBO’s Game of Thrones have no doubt recognized several faces from MERLIN, including Charles Dance, Joe Dempsie, John Bradley and Liam Cunningham. And a number of Harry Potter alums have populated Camelot over the course of MERLIN’s five seasons, running the gamut from Harry Melling, Mark Williams and Warwick Davis to Gemma Jones, Miriam Margolyes, Ian Peck and Andy Linden.
“From the start, we had a huge list of actors we knew we’d love to work with,” adds Capps, “and we’ve had the privilege now to work with many of them. The guest cast has provided some extraordinary, truly brilliant performances that have helped elevate MERLIN to another level.”
The star-studded sorcery of MERLIN continues when “The Kindness of Strangers” debuts Friday, May 10, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, only on Syfy.
All four previous seasons of MERLIN are now available on DVD, on iTunes and on Netflix. Be sure to follow the latest news on MERLIN at the Official Merlin page on Facebook.
