Paul Walter Hauser has been pulling focus from main characters for over a decade. That’s the case even when his fellow cast members qualify as A-listers. He was the dubious mastermind in I, Tonya and, most recently, the henchman of Cruella, and also, he popped into Cobra Kai for some memorable Season 2 moments (as Stingray), but Hauser did not appear in Season 3 of the mega-popular Netflix series.
Hauser’s missing presence was not a huge deal, though it may have raised eyebrows because a very beloved character, Aisha, also did not return, and actress Nichole Brown has been vocal about her dismay on the issue. There was still enough room for the show’s worst character to somehow show up onscreen and eat a popsicle, but Hauser has explained why Stingray was not on hand for the most recent batch of episodes. While speaking to Insider, Hauser revealed that this was all down to timing and scheduling conflicts:
“There were conversations of how to put in Stingray, but I think it came down to the wire because they were prepping it at the same time I was heading out to shoot Cruella, so it just wouldn’t have worked out timing-wise. But maybe going forward there will be time to slip me back in there.”
As for what Stingray might up to these days, Hauser believes that he’s in a bathrobe eating a danish and sitting in a family member’s living room looking for jobs on the internet.” That sounds about right, but Hauser is doing just fine. He’s nabbed roles in Spike Lee movies and his name popped up as an apparent Easter egg (on Bucky Barnes’ lengthy list of amends) in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Not too shabby.
(Via Insider)
