Jannes Eiselen left Black Sails because he had brain cancer. Following Eiselen's exit, Roland Reed took over as Dufresne in Black Sails season 2. Some were unhappy with the recasting as they believed that it changed Dufresne's character too much.

Black Sails features an ensemble cast, but one of the stars left the show after season 1, leading to their character being recast. The Starz historical adventure television series, created by Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine, serves as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's popular 1883 book Treasure Island and consists of four seasons and 38 episodes. Jannes Eiselen portrayed Dufresne in the first season, but the actor passed the baton to Roland Reed for the rest of the character's time on the show.

Dufresne is introduced as the accountant of the Walrus during the pilot of Black Sails. His job is to keep track of the pirate ship's stolen goods and...