Entering the second half of its fifth season soon, Once Upon a Time will soon see the return of Gaston. Played by the awesomely named Sage Brocklebank, Gaston’s single appearance was in a flashback in a season one episode. It was in this episode that Gaston learned why you shouldn’t bring a sword to a Rumplestiltskin fight.
But on his return, Belle’s former fiance will now be played by True Blood’s Wes Brown. According to Variety;
“Gaston’s storyline will take viewers back to Belle’s (Emilie de Ravin) time before she met Rumple (Robert Carlyle), furthering the exploration of “Once Upon A Time’s” twist on Gaston’s role in the “Beauty & the Beast” tale.”
The twist they are referring to is that the ‘Beast’ role of Belle’s story is filled by Rumplestiltskin. As a result, Gaston was portrayed more sympathetically than usual. Instead of a two dimensional jerk, he came across as a basically decent guy who simply wasn’t right for Belle.
Variety claims that Wes Brown’s Gaston will only appear in a single episode. The traditional format of Once Upon a Time is to divide each Episode between past events in the Enchanted Forest that relate to the events in the present. Given that the upcoming story arc concerns Emma journey to the underworld to rescue Hook, it’s possible that Wes Brown will appear outside of flashbacks too.
