Castle Rock trades Garrett Hedlund in for Paul Sparks in season two

Photo: Rich Polk
Hulu is adding another great actor to its stellar Castle Rock season 2 ensemble. Paul Sparks, a character actor best known for roles in Boardwalk Empire and Starz’s The Girlfriend Experience, has signed on to play town bully Ace Merrill in the upcoming season of the Stephen King-inspired anthology series. According to Deadline, Sparks will replace Garrett Hedlund, who was previously cast in the role and had already shot a few scenes for the second season. The recasting was reportedly a creative decision, as it seems that Hedlund didn’t quite fit with Dustin Thomason and Sam Shaw’s vision for the next installment.