Actor Rob Kazinsky is returning full-time to EastEnders as soap bad boy Sean Slater after nearly two decades away from the long-running BBC drama.
While producers and fans have welcomed the casting decision for the 42-year-old actor from Haywards Heath, show insiders claim the move was made out of desperation following a disappointing run of Hollywood roles.
EastEnders, which airs on BBC One, is a long-running British television soap opera centered on the fictional borough of Walford in East London. Kazinsky first joined the show as Sean Slater in August 2006 at age 23, exactly 20 years ago.
When Kazinsky left Albert Square in 2009, he was a firm favourite among the show's 12 million nightly viewers. He moved to the United States to pursue acting opportunities in American television and film. His early American screen credits included bit parts in US television series, starting with Law and Order in 2010 and Brothers and Sisters in 2011.
Kazinsky secured his big screen debut in 2012 when Star Wars creator George Lucas offered him a prominent role in Red Tails, a Second World War feature film about the Tuskegee Airmen, America's first Black military pilots. Although intended as a major break for Kazinsky, the movie failed to make an impact at the box office, grossing $50 million against a $58 million production budget.
Hollywood roles and screen credits
Later in 2012, Kazinsky landed a role in hit US television series True Blood, a popular vampire drama. He followed this with a role in director Guillermo del Toro's 2013 Oscar-winning sci-fi monster film Pacific Rim, sharing the screen with Idris Elba. In 2015, he appeared alongside Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara in the action comedy film Hot Pursuit.
In 2016, Kazinsky played the character Orgrim Doomhammer in Warcraft, a feature film adaptation of the video game series directed by Duncan Jones and co-starring Dominic Cooper. His last major American project was the Star Trek spin-off movie Section 31, released last year, in which he starred opposite Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh.
Despite building an extensive resume, insiders say Kazinsky failed to achieve major stardom in North America. Between his US commitments, Kazinsky returned to EastEnders for brief cameo appearances in 2019, 2021, and 2022, but repeatedly returned to America in pursuit of bigger opportunities.
"Rob's Hollywood dream failed. That's the harsh but bottom line. He's worked but not at the level he expected," a show insider said. "He got some decent roles early on like True Blood but instead of it catapulting him to huge success, everything went a bit wrong."
"He didn't become a household name and bigger work just didn't emerge. He's got an impressive CV but they weren't starring roles. Even the Star Trek film bombed," the source added. "It's not surprising a steady pay cheque has tempted him back even though EastEnders is in terrible shape at the moment. It all seems a bit desperate."
Executive producer risks and cast comparisons
Industry observers note that bringing back former stars carries significant risks for the show. Executive producer Ben Wadey previously faced criticism after bringing back actress Michelle Ryan as character Zoe Slater in June last year following a 20-year absence. BBC bosses announced in July that Ryan's character would be written out of the show by the end of the year after her comeback failed.
"Michelle Ryan has only just been axed after her comeback failed and now Ben Wadey's trying to do the same thing with Sean," the insider warned. "The worry is that like with Zoe, it will just go wrong and so this is a big risk for Rob."
Kazinsky's return highlights the contrasting fortunes of former EastEnders cast members who moved to Hollywood. Himesh Patel, 35, who joined the soap at age 16 playing Tamwar Masood, departed in 2016 before starring in director Danny Boyle's smash-hit film Yesterday. Patel recently appeared alongside Anne Hathaway and Matt Damon in director Christopher Nolan's feature film The Odyssey.
Similarly, 35-year-old actor Ben Hardy, the sixth actor to play Peter Beale on the soap, left EastEnders to appear in superhero blockbuster X-Men and Queen biographical drama Bohemian Rhapsody, earning critical acclaim for his portrayal of drummer Roger Taylor.
"People are asking whether Rob would be returning if he had the career of Himesh or Ben," the source said. "They've achieved real success after leaving EastEnders and you can't imagine them going back to what the show has fallen to now."
Cast reaction and past disciplinary history
Despite the career setback, former EastEnders colleagues are reportedly delighted at the prospect of working with Kazinsky again. Show writer Alex Doyle noted that cast members love working with him on shoots, describing his personality as infectious.
"Rob is great fun and he is an extremely kind person. People always say they love working with him on shoots. His personality is infectious," the source said.
However, Kazinsky's history with the soap includes past controversy. In 2007, show bosses suspended Kazinsky for two months after it was revealed he sent an unsolicited image of his penis along with a string of inappropriate text messages to a model. The incident angered BBC bosses, including former executive producer Diederick Santer, because it occurred while the show was shooting complex storylines.
"Rob has caused problems for the show before with the sexting controversy in 2007. He really angered the BBC then, in particular Diederick Santer, who was the big boss at EastEnders at the time. And it happened while they were in the middle of shooting complex storylines," the insider recalled.
In 2017, as the #MeToo movement gained traction, Kazinsky publicly reflected on his behaviour and issued an apology. "I would like to take this opportunity to offer a sincere, personal apology to the woman I once knew: I am so sorry. 34-year-old me joins you in disgust at 22-year-old me and a personal apology should have been made in 2007, not more than a decade later," Kazinsky said at the time.
"I will continue to learn from my own failings and experiences as I have for the past 11 years and continue to work on myself," he added.
Current cast members have noted strict expectations surrounding conduct on set. "While the younger cast firmly believe there are double standards on the show when it comes to actors stepping out of line, bosses are clear they won't tolerate any bad behaviour from Rob this time around," the insider concluded.
It remains to be seen if Kazinsky's full-time return to Albert Square will give him the profile boost he needs.
