Fans of the HISTORY series Vikings were in for a big treat when a very mysterious and all-new character appeared at the end of last week’s episode. Kevin Durand plays Harbard, a wanderer who turns up unexpectedly in Kattagat when Ragnar and most of the men of the town are away raiding. Harbard promises to have a profound effect on Queen Aslaug, Siggy and Helga, all of whom have had the same dream, presaging his arrival. We spoke to Durand, a fan favorite best known from the Guillermo del Toro vampire series The Strain, Lost and Fruitvale Station, about joining the cast of one of his favorite shows and what fans of the series can look forward to from his mysterious character.

“I had been a fan of the show, and when I heard that Michael Hirst had some ideas, had a character that I was right for, so we started talking,” Kevin Durand told us when we spoke to him about his new role. “Once he sent me pages for it, I was just totally blown away. I thought, ‘Wow!’ I had never done anything like this, and it’s kind of scary when you’re a fan of the show. I was quite fanatical about it. I loved the first two seasons of the show, and I thought if I’m going to come on to the show, it has to be something really cool and impactful and different for me. I didn’t want to go on and just mess it up!” Durand continued, saying, “When he sent me the pages, I was just like, ‘Oh my god!’ It was so great and so challenging and so beautifully written. I mean, Michael–I just love what he’s doing with this show. He’s an incredible talent.”

For those who may not know, Harbard arrives in Kattegat and makes his way to the Great Hall. His mysterious aura fascinates Aslaug and Helga but Siggy remains suspicious of him. There are strange and tragic happenings in Kattegat and Siggy suspects Harbard is the cause. So what can fans of the series expect from Durand’s character? Is he friend or foe? The actor tells us, “He’s the wanderer, he’s the story teller, he’s kind of a poet. There are many extremes that live within this character, and you can kind of see it even in the delivery of one line. He can live a bunch of different worlds. It’ll be really interesting to see if people clue in to who he might be.”

The newest episode of the series titled “Warrior’s Fate” premieres this week, and starts to provide clues to what this mysterious being just might be capable of. Durand tells the story of an epic scene that will definitely start to get fans talking. “[In] talking to Michael, we kind of knew who he was, but we never really say who he is. So the audience is going to have to figure it out, and it’s a really kind of exciting discovery, when and if–we never really do find out. But there are definite hints that are kind of cookie crumbs that are kind of laid out for the audience to follow, and he, in his short time, he really kind of leaves his mark in Kattegat and in the lives of these great characters that we love. It will be interesting to see where it goes for them.”

Episode 3 of History’s drama series Vikings titled “Warrior’s Fate” premieres this Thursday, March 5 at 10pm.