‘The Affair’ Season 5 Casts ‘The Square’ Star Claes Bang as Helen’s New Love Interest (EXCLUSIVE)

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Claes Bang has been cast in the fifth and final season of “The Affair” in a recurring guest role, Variety has learned exclusively.

Bang will play Sasha Mann, described as a charismatic, A-list movie star who will play an influential role in both Helen (Maura Tierney) and Noah’s (Dominic West) lives in Season 5. As Helen’s love interest this year, Sasha’s minimalistic lifestyle and objectivist way of thinking will influence how she lives her own life in the wake of a personal loss.

Bang had his breakout role in the Ruben Östlund film “The Square,” in which he co-starred with West. The film won the Palme d’Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival as well as six European Film Awards, including best actor for Claes. It was also nominated for the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for best foreign language film. He will be seen in the upcoming film “The Girl in the Spider’s Web,” and recently wrapped production on the films “The Bay of Silence” co-starring Olga Kurylenko “Burnt Orange Heresy” opposite Elizabeth Debicki and Mick Jagger. He is repped by UTA.

Showtime announced in July that the fifth season of “” would be the show’s last . The show has received widespread acclaim since its debut, with the show picking up three Golden Globe awards throughout its run. That includes a win for best drama series in 2015 and best actress in a drama series for Ruth Wilson that same year. Tierney was also nominated for an Emmy for supporting actress in a drama series in 2016.