<![CDATA[Once Upon A Fandom

<![CDATA[Once Upon A Fandom - Interviews]]>Sat, 31 May 2025 11:08:18 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Pinocchios All Around! Brothers Jakob and Jack Davies Sharing the Classic Role for Once!]]>Thu, 04 May 2017 01:54:07 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/pinocchios-all-around-brothers-jakob-and-jack-davies-sharing-the-classic-role-for-once

By Amy Hood (@amelia403)

Since Season One of Once Upon a Time, Jakob Davies has brought magic to the show in the role of Young Pinocchio. Some of the most iconic and memorable scenes of the show have involved the bond between Geppetto (Tony Amendola) and his son. One thing that holds true in both the real world and in the magical realms of the show, is that kids grow up. What could have posed a problem in flashback scenes has become a fun family affair! Lucky for fan favorite Jakob Davies, he has a younger brother, Jack, who looks very much like him, This led to him being able to help bring Pinocchio back to our screens for the musical episode!

   If you saw the press release for this week's upcoming musical episode, you may have noticed Jack's name listed as playing Pinocchio. I was curious so I chatted with Jakob about it. (In honesty, I thought the press release had a typo at first!) It turns out, it was a great experience for both brothers!

   "They needed me to be the same size as I was in the pilot and Jack is exactly the same size and age. People say we look a lot alike. Jack has never wanted to act and said no to roles in If I Stay, Hector and The Search For Happiness. He can be shy sometimes and told us he said yes "to keep Pinocchio in the family". I am so proud of him for doing this for me," said older brother Jakob Davies.

It turns out, Jack has been on the set before, but never in an acting role. In the past, Jack was quite nervous around our lovely Evil Queen, Lana Parrilla when he was younger. Jakob told us "When Once started my brother was really little, and was terrified of Lana. Whenever she came on he would scream 'Black Smoke Witch!' and run out of the room. He came to set with me Season Two or Three. Lana came and found Jack to talk to him, to show him she was not scary. He stopped running out of the room when she came on the TV, but to this day I think she still makes him nervous. It's funny because she is one of the nicest people on the show!"

   When asked what he thought of playing the iconic character that his big brother had played, Jack said he "really liked the costume and everyone was really nice." Jakob was quick to let him know that he could keep the costume...but not the hat... "He is only borrowing my hat....I love the hat" Jakob turned 14 in January, and Jack is 9.

We cannot wait to see the musical episode and are so happy Jack was able to keep our beloved Pinocchio in the same family. It's rare that an opportunity like this comes up, but luckily, Jack and Jakob were willing to work together and keep the magic for all of us Oncers!

]]><![CDATA[EXCLUSIVE! Be Careful What You Wish For - Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis Tease What's Next for Once Upon A Time's Sixth Season]]>Wed, 07 Dec 2016 16:34:52 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/be-careful-what-you-wish-for-adam-horowitz-and-eddy-kitsis-tease-whats-next-for-once-upon-a-times-sixth-seasonby Zach Van Norman - @TheZachVan

The Royal Charmings: Princess Emma (Jennifer Morrison), Queen Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin),
and King David (Josh Dallas) Image Credit: ABC Studios

The Season Six winter finale of Once Upon A Time was another reality-bending adventure as Emma discovered what life would have been like if she had grown up with her parents, and Regina was greeted by an unexpectedly living Robin Hood. As if that weren't enough, Storybrooke was plagued by evil regals, genies, and the unexpectedly aged son of Rumple and Belle was revealed as the one trying to kill the Savior. In other words, just another normal day for our heroes! Series creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis were kind enough to share some details on what we've seen so far this season, what some of it means, and the impact that will be felt as the season continues.

Loved the finale! Some good wish fulfillment, literally and figuratively; it was good stuff. As far as rules of the Wish Realm, Regina and Emma kept repeating that none of their actions mattered because that world isn't real, and then Wish Rumple used that logic to make a deal for his freedom. Seems like they doth protest too much, so what is the deal with the Wish Realm? Is it a real place with real consequences for its residents and visitors?

Adam Horowitz: Yes, it is a real place. When the Evil Queen made the wish that Emma's wish be realized, this realm was created and it now exists. If you go there, you can get hurt, you can die, anything can happen there. Now, what it's not: it's not time travel. It's not that we went back in time and said, "Oh what would happen if the Curse didn't get cast?" or any of that. This is how we've established the rules of wishes on Once Upon A Time, the case of when you make a wish there are unintended consequences. These were the twisted consequences of the Evil Queen asking to have Emma's wish realized, which is why there are things like, you know, Baelfire clearly died and he's her hero in an oil painting there, and clearly didn't go off to visit the Darlings and have that stuff happen. The history is slightly different. It's not a "Back to the Future, you went back and changed one thing in the past [situation]", this was a wish that conjured up a realm to teach Emma a lesson which is due, and the lesson was "Don't wish to undo all the things that made you who you are." And I think by the end of the episode, you saw Emma realize that she liked who she was, and that she wouldn't want to change that.

Queen Snow and King David revealed that the Wish version of the Evil Queen had been defeated. She was banished with no hope of returning, but they specifically said banished and not killed, so does that mean that there's an elderly version of the Evil Queen hobbling around somewhere?

Eddy Kitsis: There really is. And whether that's in a castle, on an island or somewhere else, there is an old Evil Queen out there.

Any chance we'll see her?

EK: Maybe!

AH: Never say never.

EK You never know!

Are there any other characters that you can tease that might get the AARP treatment, like an elderly Belle or anything like that?

EK: I will say that we know that we're gonna meet Hook.

AH: And I think we can say that we're gonna see what happened to Belle in the Wish Realm.

EK: We are absolutely going to see what happened to Belle in the Wish Realm; in fact, in the premiere!

Gideon Gold (Giles Matthey) arrives at his father's shop.
Image Credit: ABC Studios

Now switching to Emma and Gideon. They seem to have had a similar experience as far as being sent away by their parents to get their best chance, only to return as adults and find their parents are of similar age, except that Emma is a hero and Gideon seems very much the villain. Wish Realm Rumple told Regina that every Savior needs a villain, and it seems like Gideon is stepping into that role, taking it from the Evil Queen since she's a snake. There's a lot going on between Emma and Gideon! What can you tease us about their dynamic?

EK: I can tell you that you are on the trail. There's a lot of drama between the two of them. They want different things in life, and unfortunately, it is going to cause them and their families to be divided. What Gideon wants, why he's here, what happened to him will all be shown in the second half of the season.

Emma is currently trapped in the Wish Realm with Regina and both of them are being sought by Henry (I have given him the title of Sir Henry the True, because, you know...) He doesn't know anything about their origins, and I'm curious about how Regina's murder of his grandparents will impact the mission for Regina and Emma to get home, since Henry is probably not happy about that.

EK: He is not happy about it, and Sir Henry the True is out for blood, because, as we saw, he was very excited to be knighted, but he seemed to be upset about being in a land with no more fighting. He is very loyal, and having his grandparents killed and his mother kidnapped will not sit well with him.

Sir Henry the True (Jared Gilmore) 'saves' his "mother" Princess Emma (Jennifer Morrison). Image Credit: ABC Studios

Henry, the Wish version, is a new knight and seems very ready and eager to step into the role of hero, but it seems like the consequences of Regina and Emma going home would have a profound impact on the Wish Henry because he doesn't have grandparents to rule and his mother would be gone, so he would be in charge. It also seems like Storybrooke Henry is prepared to be more assertive at home, so there would be parallels between the two Henrys. What can you tell us about that?

EK: I think Henry's growing up. I think we see every that he's growing up. I think that episode this year at the beginning where Emma and Regina realized he's becoming a young man is what's going on. As far as the Wish world, it is an alternate universe created by a wish, so we have to either choose to believe that what is happening in it matters, or it is a place to get the hell out of, to get back home where they need help the most.

It's not just wishful thinking: Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) is alive and has his sights set on Regina (Lana Parrilla)! Image Credit: ABC Studios

Switching gears to Robin Hood. It was thrilling to see him return, as an audience member. It seems like it's finally gonna explain the mysterious Page 23. Adam, you put a title spoiler out recently and that is the title of an upcoming episode, so what can you tease us about the Wish Realm version of OutlawQueen and its impact on Wish Robin Hood and Storybrooke Regina?

AH: So a few things we can say in general terms, and the rest we hope the audience will enjoy on the air. One, this Robin Hood is in the Wish Realm, so he's not the Robin Hood you've seen before. That said, there's a lot of things floating around in Robin Hood mythology, in Evil Queen/Regina mythology, going all the way back to season three, that needs to be addressed. Whether it be Page 23, which we certainly address head-on in an upcoming episode--the page from Storybrooke that mysteriously appeared to Regina, which showed her kissing Robin Hood--that gets addressed. From the premiere of the season, when we saw that feather float down after Regina had her heart-to-heart with Snow, that was placed in that scene for a reason and it's something we've been building to all year. We address that again. There's a whole bunch of different threads involving what happened to Robin Hood last year, what Regina's going through now, and what this Wish Realm Robin Hood are that hopefully all come together in a satisfying way to the audience. And I have no doubt that we'll hear from the audience!

I have no doubt of that either. Is a happy ending for OutlawQueen still possible, albeit an unconventional one?

EK: I would say that the definition of happiness and happy endings is a theme we explore in the second half, so that is the uber question we are going to try and answer.

AH: That's kind of the driving force of the second half of the season for all the characters, which is "What is a happy ending and is it possible?"

Perhaps she'd like to see how snake-like she can be? The Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla) gets what she deserves. Image Credit: ABC Studios

Keeping with the Regina questions here. It seemed like the Evil Queen was unable to stop Gideon from transforming her into that snake. Was that a slow response time on her behalf or does he have a better power than she does?

EK: He's got some serious power.

AH: And it was also a result of David's wish, which was "I hope you get what you deserve".

EK: And earlier in the fight, he called her a snake.

I liked the Jafar element in there too. I saw that and thought, "There's a Jafar element there!" What can you tease us about what's next for the Evil Queen herself, the main Evil Regal, because we don't expect her to stay a snake for long

EK: All I can tell you is that this town is clearly not big enough for two Reginas, so that needs to get sorted out pretty quickly.

Charming (Josh Dallas) despairs over his sleeping beauty, Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin).
Image Credit: ABC Studios

Focusing on Snowing now. They're still battling their shared Sleeping Curse, though their struggle this time has a little bit of that adorable technology quality to it, with the shared videos and messages, which is very smart. You said that it's going to be a while before this get resolved. I was wondering what you can tease us about what the solution to their problem is.

EK: We can tell you that the solution to their problem, they're going to have to figure that out the old fashioned way, which is together.

And they're separated, so drama. Imagine the DRAMA! Also, David said in this episode when he was talking to Hook that he was worried about becoming his brother. We saw shades of that in the Underworld story as well, and then you guys had teased a mystery, a secret in Charming's family that has to do with Charming's dad. We're wondering how quickly we will get to a resolution on that.

EK: I would say that is going to be dealt with pretty quickly in the first batch of episodes in March.

Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) and David (Josh Dallas) debate the best way to save the day.
Image Credit: ABC Studios

I just mentioned Hook, so now's a good time to switch to CaptainSwan. You had hinted in the summer at the bromance between Charming and Hook, and that's coming into fruition now. What else can we expect to see from Hook, both in Storybrooke and the Wish Realm?

EK: I think he is going to have to confront past demons. I think Hook in the Wish Realm is one of my favorite moments in the entire series, and I think that we are going to be seeing Hook face his demons and hopefully conquer them. And we know that he and Emma have moved in together, so we'll see how their relationship progresses.

The Golds (Robert Carlyle and Emilie de Ravin) are greeted by their suddenly-adult son.
Image Credit: ABC Studios

I'm really excited about that tease for Hook. If it involves red velvet at all, it's gonna be good. Switching over to another couple, Rumbelle. Lots of action for them recently too. They're experiencing something similar to Snow and Charming in terms of a suddenly-adult child presenting themselves, and in past seasons we've seen Charming help Rumple. Snow and Belle have recently discussed some pregnancy woes as well, so it seems like there is not only an opportunity for them to work together, but also for the Golds to learn some things about relationships from the Charmings. Will there be potential for these two sets of parents to interact and help each other with both their children and their love stories?

EK: I think so. We can't forget that they all share a grandson, and I think we can't forget that Henry's dream was for his family to come together, so I hope they can work together. But I can tell you that it won't be right away.

Aladdin (Deniz Akdeniz) and Jasmine (Karen David) bid farewell to their friends.
Image Credit: ABC Studios

Aladdin and Jasmine took off for Agrabah, which in parts unknown, and we have yet to see Jafar in Storybrooke. Is he going to be making an appearance in Storybrooke and is the Agrabah story tied into anything with Jafar in Storybrooke?

EK: I can say this: where Agrabah went, why it went, what happened, and where's Jafar will all be shown, not just said, but shown in an episode in the middle of the run coming up. Second half we're going to be getting into all of that and finding out what happened to it.

]]><![CDATA[Interview With Jennifer Morrison at the HollyShort Festival]]>Wed, 19 Oct 2016 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/interview-with-jennifer-morrison-at-the-hollyshort-festival

]]><![CDATA[The Power of Dearies: Robert Carlyle Fans Raising Money For a Statue and Promote Awareness of Scottish Boxing Legend Benny Lynch]]>Sat, 08 Oct 2016 01:37:54 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/the-power-of-dearies-robert-carlyle-fans-raising-money-for-a-statue-and-promote-awareness-of-scottish-boxing-legend-benny-lynch

The Power of Dearies: Robert Carlyle Fans Raising Money For a Statue and Promote Awareness of Scottish Boxing Legend Benny Lynch
A fan interview by Teresa Martin (@Teresa__Martin)

Benny Lynch was a legendary boxer whose story is still an inspiration to the people of Scotland. Robert Carlyle has become the patron of an effort to create a statue in Benny's honor. When Mr. Carlyle's birthday was upcoming this year, fans of his worked to have Oncers donate to the cause. Teresa Martin interviewed Eva (@pot_supplier) and Doc (@way2distracted) to tell the story of this special gift.

What made you become a fan of OUAT?

Eva: I was a fan of Robert Carlyle way before Once Upon A Time, I actually didn’t know he was in OUATuntil after "Skin Deep" aired. I watched the pilot episode and fell in love with the show. The show introduced new favorite characters and actors to me. I truly fell in love with OUAT due to its storyline of second chances, and the beautiful story of Rumplestiltskin and Belle.

Doc: I started watching Once Upon A Time because I am from Steveston and I wanted to see what they were filming in my town. I also love Robert Carlyle and so that made it easy for me to start watching. It is impressive to watch him play, as of the sixth season premiere, pretty much seven or eight different characters. I was sold the moment he jumped out of the jail cell in the first episode. I also loved the twists on classic fairytales and the concept of these fairytale characters in a modern setting.

Tell me about how you became a fan of Robert Carlyle?

Eva: I was introduced to the work of Robert Carlyle in 2009 when I watched 28 Weeks Later for the first time. I immediately had to look up his filmography because I needed to see what else he is capable of doing! He’s a magnificent actor, there’s no lie there. Aside from being such a phenomenal actor, he’s one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. He has been a part of so many charities, and supports different humanitarian organizations. He’s definitely someone I look up to and it has been an absolute honor meeting him.

Doc: I was very young when I saw my first Robert Carlyle film. I was eight years old and I watched Angela’s Ashes with my parents (can’t believe I was allowed at that age now that I think of it!). So that is how I was introduced to him.

Robert Carlyle at a Statue for Benny Fundraising event last April

What gave you the idea for raising money for the project/Birthday?

Eva: Usually most fans trend #HappyBirthday for their favorite actors on Twitter but Robert isn’t much of a Twitter guy. I got the idea of raising money for the charities that he’s a part of last year. He’s one of the ambassadors for With Kids, a charity based in Glasgow dedicated to working with young children. So last year during his birthday his fans from all over the world raised money for With Kids to help them reach their goal of buying Christmas presents for kids whose families can’t afford it. You can check out the announcement for With Kids charity project here.

So this year, we did the same thing, a group of us came up with the idea of donating to The Statue of Benny in honor of Robert’s birthday. And I want to give shoutout to everyone who donated and raised close to 3,000 dollars in just two days.

Doc: I knew Robert loved Benny Lynch based on things that he has said, the fact that he narrated a documentary about him, the nod he gave to Benny Lynch in his new film The Legend of BarneyThomson (If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it!), and a few other things. So I went and found their gofundme page. I thought he may like it if fans would donate to that for his birthday as it is something he seems passionate about. It is also a great project in its own right and so I wanted to help out. I thought it would make a difference if people in the Once Upon A Time community could donate even 1 dollar. Oncers can be amazing at that sort of thing.

See: Remember Benny Lynch Campaign; A Message from Our Patron: Robert Carlyle

Who is Benny Lynch? What is his story?

Eva: Benny Lynch was a professional Scottish boxer who fought in flyweight division. He’s considered as one of the greatest fighters ever to come out of Scotland.
Doc: He sadly died when he was quite young (in his thirties). I think he had 88 wins or something close to that number.

Click here to learn more about Benny Lynch

What was the process for raising the money?

Eva: The process was simple. I made a blog post on Tumblr asking his fans and the OUAT fans in general to donate and raise money for the statue. People donated from $1 to $100, or even more. I was so happy and grateful that there were so many people donating in honor of Robert’s birthday. After that, a lot of people actually became more familiarized with who Benny Lynch was.

Doc: I recruited a few of my friends who are Robert Carlyle fans like myself (@Ashashmarie20, @JustADearie, @Rumbelle_Dearie, @SharonBaron718), made a poster, sent it to them, and then got everyone to start tweeting it out. Eva (@pot_supplier) and Race (@pot_dealer) in particular were instrumental in this. Eva helped make a banner, another poster, and both Eva and Race helped get the word out and funding on the tumblr side. So between them and I, we managed to make it happen.

Was Robert Carlyle informed that his fans donated to a project that he’s a part of in honor of his birthday?

Eva: Yes! On April 14, the day of his birthday, he tweeted thanking everyone for the birthday wishes and who donated to The Statue of Benny. He specifically tweeted @way2distracted thanking her for the donations. Earlier this year in March, I met him in Vancouver and gave him a fanbook as a gift which consisted of fan letters and fan arts. So on his birthday I got a tweet from him as well telling me that he loved the fanbook. It was an awesome day!

Doc: You can still donate to the Statue for Benny Project, as the project is still going on! You can donate here: gofundme.com/8d2j5678

Eva: I am sure if people start donating again it will make Robert happy. I’d like to thank Once Upon A Fan for this amazing opportunity to be a part of this interview. Thank you for writing about this, it truly means the world to many of us. I’d like to thank my good friends Race, Isis, Franzi, Maggie, Haley, Catherine, Mimi, and Doc who made this project happen. And shout-out to the rest of you. You know who you are!

Follow these accounts to support a Statue for Benny Lynch on Twitter, Facebook and You Tube
Click here to buy Robert Carlyle's film The Legend of Barney Thomson

]]><![CDATA[Dead of Summer Interviews SDCC]]>Mon, 15 Aug 2016 02:41:47 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/dead-of-summer-interviews-sdcc

]]><![CDATA[SDCC 2016 - Lana Parrilla & Jared Gilmore]]>Tue, 26 Jul 2016 16:59:55 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/sdcc-2016-lana-parrilla-jared-gilmore

]]><![CDATA[SDCC 2016 - Adam Horowitz & Eddy Kitsis]]>Tue, 26 Jul 2016 15:59:50 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/sdcc-2016-adam-horowitz-eddy-kitsis

]]><![CDATA[SDCC 2016 - Josh Dallas & Colin O'Donoghue]]>Tue, 26 Jul 2016 15:48:41 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/sdcc-2016-josh-dallas-colin-odonoghue

]]><![CDATA[SDCC 2016 - Rebecca Mader & Emilie De Ravin Interview]]>Tue, 26 Jul 2016 05:17:56 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/sdcc-2016-rebecca-mader-emilie-de-ravin-interview5707777

]]><![CDATA[Fandom United]]>Sat, 09 Jul 2016 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/fandom-united

Fandom United
Fan interview by Teresa Martin (@Teresa__Martin)

Last Spring diverse Once accounts banded together to create a special project for the Paris Once convention, Fairy Tales IV. Fandom United rallied fans to raise money for three charities as a gift to the Once Upon A Time stars. Naomi (@Codonoghuecom) Coralie (@OUAT_Source_FR), Julie (@JmoDailyNews, @Codonoghuedaily) and Ophélie (@ParrillaLanaCom) spoke to Teresa Martin about this heart-felt endeavour.

What made you become a fan of OUAT?

Naomi: I started watching at the end of Season 2. My friend had told me to watch it and I became hooked. I watched the entire two seasons in a day or two. I absolutely love the show. Once Upon a Time has such an amazing storyline. It makes grown-ups believe in fairytales again and gives us hope.

Coralie: I began to watch the show just before the Season 1 finale in the US, and I became quickly addicted. I loved (and still do, despite some tragic events in the show) the hope the show brings to us: the idea of fairytale characters living in our world, and all the twists in the fairytales we know. Since then, I live, eat and speak Once Upon ATime, especially since I started my account!

Julie: I’m gonna be honest, the first time I heard about Once Upon A Time, I wasn’t even planning on watching it at all. I waited for the show to be released in France. I tried it, and it was like love at first sight. I never feel better than when I’m watching Once Upon A Time.

What also makes me a fan of this show is all the great and important human lessons and the hope that they give us. Fairytales are made to teach kids what is life through "happy things", princes and princesses. They are telling your kids "Yes baby, there is a very mean evil queen and a very big dragon. You will meet lots of them in your life, but if you keep hope and light inside you, you will be able to defeat them and find your happy ending at the end of the road."

Ophélie: I became a fan of Once Upon A Time 4 years ago. My friends told me about this show, and as a huge fan of the Disney universe, they told me I would fall in love with this show. Which I did. I found in Once Upon A Time something very important: hope. Something hit me when I watched the first season. It made me feel good when I most needed it. I particularly fell in love with Lana and her character, from the first words she said in the pilot. This is the reason why I decided to open my website, and share my admiration and respect for this incredible woman through it.

How did you start to attend the Fairy Tales Convention and why do you return?

Naomi: I went to FT2 because of the friend who got me hooked on Once. She saw a post about a convention in Paris and she asked me to go with her. We ordered ourselves a Snow Pass and off we went. It was amazing. I bought my pass for Fairytales 3 the second Colin was announced. It’s such an amazing experience to be able to meet your favourite actors. It’s one of the reasons why I go back every year. Another reason is meeting my friends there. I talk to them daily on social media, but only get to see them at the convention. So for me it’s an extra reason to go. It’s nice to freak out with other people and just enjoy everything to the fullest.

Coralie: I created my account in Sept. 2013, and in Dec. 2013, Xivents made their first convention, Fairy Tales. It was impossible to get there, so I lived the convention from the couch in my house. But then, Xivents announced FT2. It was again impossible for me to go to the convention! But I was still looking at the FT2, was becoming more and more addicted to the show and the actors, so when Sean first, and then Lana, were announced, my heart broke. So I asked a friend of mine who was going to get for me an autograph from Sean and Lana. But then, I had one of the chances of my life. I had the opportunity to sell my pass from a previous convention to buy a Snow Pass and a Sean/Lana photo op.! Unbelievable!

In June 2014, I flew to Versailles to have one of my favorite weekends of all my life. There I met so many people that changed my life forever. That’s why I came back for FT3 and FT4. I love the ambiance, the guests, the venues, the team, and the friends I made during those weekends.
Julie: I honestly don’t really remember how I found out about Xivents’ conventions. I know that I read about it on Facebook, I took a look at it and I was like "Oh wow, that’s great!".
It was a really great first time, and meeting the actors of such an important show for me was incredible. I got to know the world of conventions and the Xivents team much more every year. Xivents is such an exceptional organization making exceptional and magical events.

There are some things you cannot miss. The Fairytales Conventions is one of them.
I also know that, unfortunately, lots of people cannot go to these kind of events. You do it, not just for yourself, but for everybody else, and you hope that these people will have the same chance some day. And I know Xivents is sharing the feeling. That is why we love them so much and what makes them amazing.
Ophélie: When I first heard Xivents organized a Once Upon A Time convention, I realized this was the chance to meet the people behind my favorite characters, my favorite cast. And it all began in 2012, with the Fairytales 2, and my first meeting with Lana. I will never, ever, forget it. It is such a magical experience that I wish everyone could have the chance to live. It made sense to me to return to the third and fourth editions, to keep living the dream, to keep living the magic and all the powerful things it made me feel.

What gave you the idea for the project?

Naomi: Ophélie and I had been talking about doing a fundraiser together. We wanted to do something for the entire cast, not just one or two actors. There has been some tension between the fandoms and we wanted to try unite everyone. In the past, Ophélie and I got applauded for being friends because I’m a Colin fan and she is a Lana fan. I adore every single actor on the show and OF COURSE we are friends because Ophélie is pretty amazing. I also know a lot of people who are fans of both actors so I still don’t understand why they applauded us. We got in touch with Coralie and Julie (who are also amazing) and the rest is history.

Julie: There are two big ideas behind this project. The first one is very simple, it’s actually the name of the project: "Fandom United". There are, unfortunately, lots of ship/fandom wars on the social networks. And it makes us really sad. So we wanted to do this fundraiser not just as a surprise for the cast and the convention, not just for the charities, but also as a symbol. The symbol of all the fandoms united and working together. We wanted to show the fans that no matter who you ship, who you love, there is a place for everyone in the fandom, that we can work together, and we can actually achieve amazing things if we work together. I mean . . . $2300!!! At the beginning of the project, none of us ever thought we would make it so far and that we would raise so much. We were surprised, but so thrilled!

Spread love, not hate. I think that is the essence of the project.

Secondly, of course the charities and the cast! We simply wanted to show the cast everything. I just explained about the Fandom United, and we wanted to help charities and we were just looking for a great surprise for the convention and the full cast of Once Upon A Time.

Coralie: I wasn’t in the process of developing the idea of the collection, but then Ophélie, Naomi and others came to me to talk about the project, Since then, I was 100% in! And the idea to give money for 3 different charities, well, that was fantastic!

Ophélie: I've had the idea of such a project for a very long time now, but it only existed in my thoughts and also in Naomi's. Then the day came when we decided to really talk about it and make it real through the amazing help of Coralie and Julie, but also Sabrina, Sonia, and other amazing Oncers. I live to make people happy, that's what motivates me in life. I have always put everyone else's happiness before mine, and it makes me feel so much alive. A project like Fandom United was something very dear to my heart, and it feels so good to take action in an unselfish way. To give without expecting anything in return. This is what Lana taught me. To always be the best version of myself, to always be, and do better. She inspired the whole project to me.

How was the project put together?

Naomi: First we reached out to multiple fansites and we had a pretty big team: Emily De RavinFR, Sean Maguire Daily, Colin O’Donoghue Brazil, OUAT Brazil, Jennifer Morrison FR, and Rebecca Mader Daily. Then we had to choose the charities to donate to. We put up a poll on Twitter and people voted to split the amount to three different charities. We didn’t really know which ones to choose so we browsed through the charities the actors were following. We came to the three amazing charities: Bullies Keep Out, Animal League and Make a Wish. There are so many amazing charities out there, but those three stood out to us. First it was our plan to give away posters, pins, etc. to those who had donated, but then we decided to buy some autographs. Then the amazing Sonia came on board and generously helped us so we could offer the people who donated even more! I still can’t believe we raised $ 2,300!

Julie: At the end we thought of choosing charities known by the cast. Animal League is one of Emilie De Ravin’s favorites. She tweets a lot about it and is very supportive of animal causes. Bullies Keep Out is very supported by Michael Raymond-James, and Make A Wish is known by everyone. All the charities are very known and supported by a lot of actors. But I personally found out about Animal League and Bullies Keep Out thanks to Emilie and Michael.

Then, we also wanted to choose three different charities, supporting different causes: Animal League for the animals cause, Bullies Keep Out for bullying and Make A Wish for kids.

Coralie: We shared as much as we could about the project, promising the fans to win souvenirs from the con, like posters, badges or jewels But the collection wasn’t working so well so we put money together and a GENEROUS AND BEAUTIFUL soul named Sonia helped us and then we updated the project: each donation would give a chance to win an autograph from one of the guests from FT4! Since then, the collection worked so well to finally reach the amount of $2,300!!!!

Ophélie: The process was very simple, once we decided to make it real, we had to reach out to people in the fandom, because our first goal was to show the actors that we are one big family, despite everything that happened, all the hate and dramas on social media. The Oncers proved that we definitely are united: we raised $2,300 and we are very proud about it. Through this interview, I want to thank every single person who donated, who helped us share, who got involved in any way in our project. It meant the world to us, and we couldn't have done it without them.

You were able to be give the check to the stars!

Naomi: It was one of the most amazing moments ever. Coralie had talked with the Xivents team and they told us we could give it to them at the group pictures on Sunday. We were all very nervous while we were waiting to give it to them and we had no idea we could actually be in the picture with them. We decided I was the one to explain it to the cast so I was practically dying because I was so nervous. The VIPs did their pictures first and then it was our turn. I started explaining the project but the cast was already reading the check, so Colin and Lana started shouting, Bex started clapping, the others were stunned and amazed. They all kept on saying how amazing this was and thanking us. Colin was the closest one so I handed the check over to him and he held it up proudly. I was so awkward and nervous during the picture. I was standing next to Bex and I thought it was Julie so I wanted to wrap my arm around her and then I saw it was Bex. I didn’t know if I was allowed to so I didn’t. Hence why I’m so awkward on that picture. Afterwards, again the cast told us how amazing it was. They looked so proud and happy. We all screamed once we got out of the room. It was such a beautiful moment and I will cherish it forever. What an amazing gift from the Xivents team and I will be forever grateful for that moment.

Coralie: Naomi was supposed to talk about the project, but the instant Colin and Lana saw the check, and the amount on it, they screamed of joy. Bex just clapped hard her hands, and the others were like "WOW!". Naomi just had the chance to explain quickly the project and then we took the picture.

They were so happy and proud of us. The following afternoon, I had autograph sessions with Bex, Greg, Sean, Colin and Liam, and when I talked about the check and the project, they had big smiles on their faces, saying that the project was fantastic and that they were proud of us for creating a project like this one! Colin promised me he would take the check back to Vancouver to show to the entire Cast and Crew (and we are still waiting for the proof haha!)

Julie: Giving the cheque . . . it just felt so unreal. We talked a lot with Xivents about how to make it work, because we wanted to give the actors the cheque in person but we also needed to agree with Xivents about how and when to give it. We talked about the closing ceremony, at the end of Saturday, during the group photo, and we ended at the group photo.

We were afraid we wouldn’t be able to give it to them ourselves, and when Xivents told us they would let us give the cheque during the group photo, we were kinda split. We didn’t know how it would work because we know Xivents has a very precise planning to follow and lots of group photos to make, so we were a bit scared of how it could work out for us and the project. We were hoping that Xivents would allow the actors to take a photo with the cheque. At the end they said "You can go on the photo too." At that precise moment, I remember the five of us (me, Coralie, Ophélie, Naomi and Sonia) looking at each other and we were like "OH MY GOD! IS THIS EVEN REAL?". I mean, at the beginning we weren’t even sure we could give the cheque ourselves, we weren’t even sure it would work great or that we could have a photo, and then BOOM! It just happened.

It was an amazing moment. The cast saw the cheque, we explained the project, and their reactions were priceless. I will never forget their smiles, the way they looked at us and thanked us so much for all we have done. They were so thrilled, and surprised, and grateful. It was just real magic and an unforgettable moment. I just . . . I have no words to describe this.

Then, I had some autographs left, so when I arrived in front of Rebecca, I had my autographs signed and showed her the group photo we took for the cheque. She saw it, stared in amazement and said "Ooh! I love it! That’s a really nice photo! Thank you so much!" She thanked us for the project once again and smiled at me (a big big smile I will keep forever in my mind). She was so funny and very sweet. I love this woman so much, she so wicked! haha.

Ophélie: Giving the check, and living the final moment after months of hard work, was truly magical. The moment we experienced with the guests that were present at the Fairytales IV went way beyond everything we could have expected. Marion and Margaux (some of Xivents organizers at the time) gave us this incredible opportunity to give the check in person to the actors and tell them about our project. We were incredibly nervous about it, and when we arrived right in front of them, it all went too easy. Colin was the first to react, in a very expressive way, followed by Lana. They both kind of screamed how amazing that was, and how happy they were about it. We asked them to keep the check and show it to the other cast members back in Vancouver, as it was made in honour of them all.

Anything else you would like to share?

Naomi: We hope we reached a lot of people with our Fandom United Project because we really wanted to unite everyone and do something amazing together.
I want to thank Xivents again from the bottom of my heart because what they did for us was amazing! I also want to thank Sonia for her amazing help. We wouldn’t have been able to raise so much if it weren’t for her.

I’m very grateful for having Ophélie, Julie and Coralie on board. It was amazing and I’m very happy to have experienced that moment with them. I’m so so so proud of our project and hope to do it again someday.

Coralie: The #FandomUnited project was created for one point: to show to the fandom that we can be united through amazing causes even if drama is a daily basis. I will ever be most proud of something like the Fandom United Project. Long live Once Upon A Time, Long Live Xivents, Long Live Friendships and Long Live the Fandom that participated in this charity!

Ophélie I will never forget this experience and all the positivity it brought me, I will be forever grateful to have lived something like this.

Julie: There is one person I haven’t talked about in all this, but I need to say a word about her because she has been a huge help to the project as well. And this person is Sonia. I don’t know her personally, I actually didn’t even knew her before this, but she gave some many prizes for the project and for the fans. She’s been so supportive towards the project and us and the charities. She’s definitely a part of the team and we are very thankful for her too!

I will end by saying how thrilled and grateful I am for all that happened this past few months and during the Fairytales IV Convention. So grateful that I have been able to share this with amazing friends. So grateful for the charities, the cast and Xivents. So grateful we’ve been able to share this magical feeling with so many people, and that so many people joined in!

Find out more about the accounts mentioned in this article:

Twitter:
@OUAT_Source_FR
@ParrillaLanaCom
@Codonoghuecom
@JmoDailyNews
@Codonoghuedaily
@AnimalLeague
@BulliesKeepOut
@MakeAWishIntl
@Xivent

Facebook:
facebook.com/OncersFrance
facebook.com/JMODailyNews
facebook.com/cononoghuedaily

Websites:
oncersfrance.com
Parrilla-Lana.net
c-odonoghue.com

]]><![CDATA[With a Smile and a Song--An Interview with Snow Cosplayer Malerie McDonald]]>Sat, 30 Apr 2016 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/with-a-smile-and-a-song-an-interview-with-snow-cosplayer-malerie-mcdonald

With a Smile and a Song--An Interview with Snow Cosplayer Malerie McDonald
by Teresa Martin (@Teresa__Martin)

1. When did you first become a fan of Once Upon a Time? What is your "story" in becoming a Oncer?

I actually didn't start watching it until Season One was all done and on Netflix. My sister was watching it and telling me I NEEDED to watch this show, that it was right up my alley. So one Saturday I wasn't working and had pretty much a free day. I sat there and watched the pilot then the next and then the next! Next thing I knew I was watching the finale at around 3 a.m. I just couldn't stop watching! So I would say I became a fan instantly after watching all of Season One in a day lol.

2. How did you first start cosplaying?

I have always been a fan of dressing up and actually have been pretty fortunate that I get to do that as my second job on the weekends. About ten years ago I got hired as a Princess for parties. I did multiple princesses where I would attend the party dressed as them dancing and singing their songs. But my most requested one was Snow. When I got pregnant I decided to just focus on face painting and became a professional face painter. Later, I came back to the Princess Scene and did face painting and dressed up as Snow White on the weekends. The first con I attended was Regal Con and I was a volunteer. When I went to the volunteers meeting I was late, so I snuck into the back seat. Later when we were asked to introduce ourselves, Leah, who was in charge of the meeting, said "Ok your turn. The girl who looks exactly like Mary Margaret sitting over there" (which if I can backstory a little, it wasn't uncommon for me to hear that--the first time I heard I resembled Ginnifer Goodwin was my senior year of High School when Mona Lisa Smile came out. One of my friends told me she had found my Doppelgänger) Back to the cosplaying, after the meeting I was talking to the other volunteers and they told me it would be awesome to see me cosplay as Mary Margaret so I figured ... How hard could this be? I'll just bring my little collar top with me and change into it later. Everyone loved it, and when I wasn't running around doing my job at the con I stopped for some pics. That's how I met Reini Side in her amazing purple gown cosplay.

3. What was the process in making your first costume?

My first costume cosplay was after Regal Con. I was contacted by Reini to go and cosplay with her at D23. I am a Disney Addict so I was on board right away. I knew I wanted to cosplay Snow rather than go in normal clothes as Mary Margaret so I started to think about which would be the best choice for it ... BANDIT SNOW! To quote the OUAT Rock Opera "She's SO badass". Lol. One of my friends is an amazing seamstress and she made me a similar looking archer costume for Halloween one year so I contacted her and asked if she wanted to do this project with me. I am a very visual person and I love getting all of the details as close as possible. Once she was on board, I told her what I would need for her to make mainly the vest. We noticed that this was supposed to look hand stitched and dirty so after she sent it to me I went back and stitched some more on (I can hand stitch and crochet, but I would love to learn how to use a sewing machine one day) and then I put it on and literally rolled around outside in it. As for the rest of the costume, I looked around EVERYWHERE online, thrift and antique stores until I got it just right. Now the hair, I have a lot of people ask me about it since my hair is super short, pixie cut. Well this trick I cannot take credit for because I learned it from the best, Drag Queens! What I do is when I know I have a cosplay photoshoot or convention, I grow out the front and top of it a little more and work my own hair into the wig.

4. Can you share your experiences at conventions? Have you met the stars? What was that like? What happened?

I love going to conventions. I have been to three so far (Regal Con, D23 and just recently Emerald City Comic Con) and honestly if money wasn't an object I would be at all of them! I love going in cosplay and taking pics with fellow Oncers and people who appreciate all the time and work I put into my look. One of my favorite things is to see and admire all the other cosplays I see! It's beautiful how creative people are! I HAVE been able to meet the stars. At Regal Con I was working but was able to talk Lee, Faustino and Michael (my Dwarfs!) shortly while I was helping in the autograph room. Lee and I talked a little bit about tattoos since we both have some ink. I got to sit at the dinner table with David Anders who is hilarious and a really nice guy. I also had a few quick moments with Eion Bailey and Sean Maguire. And I took a picture with Lana for the first time ... I must say it was a little overwhelming in the best possible way! I was running around and someone said to me if you want to go do your pic with Lana you gotta do it now. I was gonna go change into my Mary Margaret top but didn't want to hold up the line so I just went as is. When I walked in, she looked at me in just my all black and said "Well hello, you look familiar" to which I could barely squeak out "please don't kill me". Luckily I was able to chat a bit more with Lana and take the pic I have always wanted to with her ripping out my heart at ECCC! I had her autograph the apple prop I had that I've used for years with all my cosplay looks. She is such an amazing and generous person. She even said she remembered me when I looked more like Mary Margaret.

I got to see and take a pic with Sean when some of my good friends from OUAT Rock Opera, Amiee and Erin. We went to see him play with the amazing band Ultan Conlon. He was SO sweet when I asked him if he wanted to take a pic with us "look-a-likes." He turned to me and said "Of course, and you do look like my friend Ginny".

5. What has been your experience meeting fellow Oncers?
I am so appreciative of always having positive experiences when meeting fellow Oncers. I love talking and chatting about what's happened, what's to come and what I would like to see happen!

6. Is there anything that you would like to share with your fellow fans of OUAT?

Be kind to each other. That is just something I live by and always try to implement in life and even more so in something I love like Once Upon A Time. If you ship a different ship or don't agree on something, that is fine. We are all entitled to our opinions BUT don't try and push those opinions on others, and definitely don't bash people for not agreeing with you. Also, to those out there who wanna cosplay COSPLAY! Have fun with it!

7. Anything else you would like to share?

I was very excited when @OnceABC shared my cosplay this past Halloween and I got over 1000 likes! I'm in the works on some new Cosplays that I am excited to share with everyone so keep spreading the word! ;)

Follow Malerie on Twitter: @malerie_mcd

]]><![CDATA[Pixie Dust Never Lies: Cosplay and Second Chances with Reini Side]]>Mon, 18 Apr 2016 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/pixie-dust-never-lies-cosplay-and-second-chances-with-reini-side

Pixie Dust Never Lies: Cosplay and Second Chances with Reini Side
Fan Interview by Teresa Martin

I first became a Oncer in 2014 when my husband was dying from aggressive brain cancer. The stress and strain of acting as full time caregiver while working full time and single parenting a toddler was so extreme, I begged God to get me through it all somehow, and Once Upon a Time fell in my lap. It became my much needed escape, and I managed to find an hour a night to shut the world out and get lost in the story of hope that Once gave. I found an immediate connection with Regina, as our stories soon became similar….we both lost the love of our lives, they died in our arms, we were both single parents, and we both found the strength to survive and eventually allow good to win in us. (That and my name Reini is a derivative of the name Regina, LOL.)

In December 2014, I heard about an upcoming Once Upon a Time convention called RegalCon, and I knew I had to go - it was the opportunity to come full circle with one of the big things that got me through a critical time. As I processed attending, I thought "Why not go as the queen for a day?" My mother is a very talented seamstress and was on board for creating one of the Evil Queen's dresses. We set to work on a four month project and finished the queen's iconic stand-up collar gown two days before the convention. I entered as the Queen and was well received - the Evil Queen cosplaying snowballed from there!

3. How did you make you first costume? What was the process?

The first costume we chose was the queen's iconic stand-up collar gown from "An Apple as Red as Blood", Season 1, Episode 21. My mom and I both studied the gown, the shape, the design, scrutinized the fabric and all the tiny details that really make this dress amazing. Fabric hunting was difficult, as the original fabric was no longer available, but we found something that worked quite nicely…and we were lucky enough to get the last of it, as it too was no longer being made! My mom pieced together the pattern, using some existing patterns and creating some of her own. We did a ton of research on the collar, as it was the most difficult piece to construct…but it came down to finding that buckram and millinery wire worked well in keeping the shape upright. A black silk corset was made from scratch to go under the peplum jacket piece, and my mom also custom designed all the embroidery for me to bead and sequin towards the end of the project. As I mentioned earlier, this project took four solid months of work, hundreds of hours, many late nights, and was finished just in time for RegalCon! I'm thrilled to say it was well received, even by the queen herself!

More EQ/Regina cosplay pieces have been assembled since then, and after finishing the red gown for Emerald City Comicon 2016, I'm excited to announce the construction of another popular piece…this time from Season 5!

4. You've been to a lot of conventions. Can you share your experiences? Have you met Lana (and other stars)? What was it like? What happened?

Oh my goodness…where do I begin with that question?! Each convention experience has been vastly different from each other. Hands down, RegalCon was my first and favorite, as the experience with the cast from OUAT was so personal, and the events at the convention that Roxy Nazari and Lauryn Stewart created were brilliant and engaging. Being my first convention, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was surprised to find that so many people wanted to take pictures, and I quickly adapted some EQ attitude for them, and continue to do so at each convention. (And yes, I do study Lana's Evil Queen expressions and postures for replication).

I HAVE met several of the cast members, and that's been thrilling! I most particularly wanted to meet Lana (as most do) because of the role she played in the dark hours of losing my husband…and more importantly, I wanted to thank her. I'm happy to say I got the opportunity to thank her during a private meet and greet. Lana is truly a compassionate and gracious woman, and her response was so kind. Meeting her was overwhelming in the best of senses…unforgettable. My initial meeting with Lana was during a photo op, and I had planned on saying her line "What the hell am I wearing!?" from Season 4 when she first saw my dress ….yeah… anyone who meets Lana for the first time knows that going entirely speechless is completely normal. I could only squeak out a meager "Hi Lana!" ::::shaking my head::::

Some of my other favorite moments were spending time with Rebecca Mader during RegalCon's banquet; I had the pleasure of being seated directly next to her. She is amazing…she can be hysterically funny one moment, and a sincere down-to-earth person the next. I love that she initially greeted me with "Hello, Sis!"

Beverley Elliott was another pleasure, as she can genuinely connect with people…that woman has some soul and sass, and I love her to pieces!! I met her in the lobby while checking in at our hotel, and my friend Amanda and I were like, "Oh my gosh, is that Granny behind us!?!?" She was so warm and friendly, and we chatted with her the entire weekend!

Faustino Di Bauda is another genuinely good and wonderful person, who I'm happy to say, is now a good friend of mine. He was kind enough to invite me and my friend Amanda to spend time with him, David Anders, and Lee Arenberg after the cocktail party the first night of RegalCon. I've got some great pictures with him on my web site.

I've met many others, including Sean Maguire, Emilie De Ravin, Eion Bailey, Lee Arenberg, Michael Coleman, Gil McKinney, and David Anders. I have stories about most of them, but it might be too long to share in this interview! Feel free to read about them at www.ReginaRedeemed.com, look under the "Confessions of a Queen" tab. Pictures from conventions are posted under the "Conventions" tab.

While meeting the stars is thrilling, I do have to say the best parts of convention experiences are seeing the creativity of other Oncers, connecting with fans, and building new friendships!

5. What has been your experience meeting fellow Oncers?

Quite honestly, the experience has been wonderful. I know you hear about a lot of negativity with the ship wars in the fan base, but I've only had positive experiences with fans, and I do my best to encourage keeping the fandom positive. After all, the entire message of Once is positive…it's one of HOPE!! There's a comradery amongst fellow Oncers, and I love it.

Interestingly enough, I discovered that many fellow Oncers are fans of the show because of having experienced hardship and tragedy, and the show taught them to hold onto hope. Having that common ground with them has created an important connection, and established a network of support for many! I'm happy to be useful in that way (being a support)…I care, and I'm here for those who need it.

6. You won our award for best cosplay. Any thoughts?

That was a total surprise!!!! I had no idea I was in the contest, as I had not submitted anything. My Snow White cosplay partner, Malerie McDonald (@Malerie_mcd) sent me a link and excitedly told me I was in the running, and I was like, "What!? Really!???" I was absolutely flattered and humbled to be neck to neck with the famous Captain Hook look-alike, and even more astounded to take the title; I honestly did not expect it! But I'm very grateful for the supportive fans who loved my cosplay – so THANK YOU!! More cosplay to come!!

7. Is there anything that you would like to share with your fellow fans of OUAT?

As Regina's story continues to unfold in OUAT, so does mine, and it parallels quite a bit!! After losing the love of my life, I thought I'd never be able to love again. But I'm thrilled to announce that I've found my Robin Hood (or rather, he found me), and we are getting married in June! OUAT saw me through a hard time, and it played a HUGE role in my new chance at a happy ending. We fell in love while I was cosplaying at the 2015 Disney Expo in Anaheim, and we are having a Once Upon a Time themed wedding…the wedding gown is even being fashioned after one of the Evil Queen's dresses! Can you guess which one? I'll be posting our wedding pictures and stories on my web site, so please feel free to check it out!

8. Anything else you would like to share?

Please feel free to browse my web site www.ReginaRedeemed.com! There are many things to see, from the construction of projects to convention pictures to the blogging of my many adventures! There is also an e-mail connected to the site where people can contact and converse with me, and I do my best to respond promptly: TheEvilQueen@reginaredeemed.com.

I'm also on twitter @ReiniSide, am new on Tumblr @ReginaRedeemedCosplay, and Malerie McDonald was kind enough to set up a #SnowQueen cosplay page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OUATSNOWQUEEN/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Thank you so much!

]]><![CDATA[Tales from the Writer's Room: An Interview with Andrew Chambliss and David H. Goodman]]>Sun, 27 Mar 2016 17:48:14 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/tales-from-the-writers-room-an-interview-with-andrew-chambliss-and-david-h-goodmanby Zach Van Norman

The writer's room of Once Upon A Time is full of many talented, hard-working people who fashion the stories of the show with a love and respect for the material with which they've been given responsibility. Andrew Chambliss and David H. Goodman are two of those writers. Together they have written or co-written 46 episodes of the show, including "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree," "Hat Trick," "The Cricket Game," and "Lost Girl," among many others; the two of them have also co-written the penultimate episode of season five, "Only You." They recently spoke with me on a phone call from Vancouver, where they were on-set for filming of the season five finale, to offer hints at things to come and share their insights about our favorite fairy tale.

Like Henry, and Isaac before him, many Oncers are authors in one trade or another, mainly novel-like stories known as "fan fiction." Screenwriting is different from other forms of literature in that the writer is responsible only for the story and script; once they're finalized, it's up to the crew to bring the words on the page to visual life. Given this unique perspective, it had to be asked whether there are times when an episode airs a scene which looks exactly the way the writers pictured it? "Sure!" says Goodman. "I would say part of that is a function of the two of us having been part of the show for so long that, at a certain point, you know when you’re writing it when you’ve hit the tone, when you’ve got a Regina line that you know is going to stick, or you’ve got a Gold line that you know is going to stick. I’ve written lines where I can see it onscreen for sure."

"There are a lot of times when we’re surprised by things in a way that is really good," Chambliss says in reflection. "You’ll write something and you picture it one way, but then the cast, they’re incredible, they come up with ways to make a scene work with a depth that you maybe hadn’t thought of when you’re sitting at the computer or when we’re in the room talking about it. So it doesn’t always come out as we imagine it, but generally when it does, it’s for the better, because there’s some angle of the scene that we didn’t see that the crew and the cast see. And you get these nice, fun surprises of saying, “Wow! I didn’t even realize that moment was buried in the scene.”

The cast has indeed done an incredible job bringing new depths of humanity to their television personas. These characters have transformed a great deal (literally, in some cases), and their evolution, particularly that of the villains, has stayed with the writers. "Andrew and I have both been on the show since, essentially, the day after the pilot, and [we’ve] been with the show the whole run," says Goodman. "I think the thing that struck me then, it doesn’t strike me as much now, is… the evolution of the… villains. I think when I sat down and watched it, I never thought the show would do such an amazing job, and Adam (Horowitz) and Eddy (Kitsis) would be so determined to dig into the lives of the bad guys just as much as the good guys. And... it’s not something you see on television, and it’s been a fun element to work on."

Chambliss echoes those sentiments. "I think David and I had a moment the other day when we were up here on set looking at the villains who are the driving forces of season one with Regina and Gold, and… how five years ago, did we ever think they would be on the side of the heroes? More so with Regina, but it’s just crazy to really think how we’ve lived with them as real people."

Regina is easily the character who has changed the most since the series began, but we have yet to see her offer an apology to Emma or the Charmings for casting the curse that broke up their family. Since the Underworld is forcing our characters to face their pasts, could we see Regina take responsibility for the pain she's inflicted on this family? I think that [there] will definitely be this season, from Regina’s perspective, a lot more introspection for what she’s done and what that means for who she now that she’s become a hero with the rest of the Charming family," says Chambliss. "We’re definitely going to see a lot more development in terms of Regina’s character and her coming to terms with who she was and who she is now."

Lana Parrilla as Regina. Image Credit: ABC Studios

Villains on the side of the heroes? Regina working with Snow White? Such a thing was unthinkable in the early days of the show. Once mortal enemies, Regina and Snow's animosity has evolved into an unlikely friendship, built on a foundation of support and encouragement thanks to quiet scenes where they could stop for a moment and express how they feel about what has happened in their lives. Goodman agrees, offering a hint at things to come. "I think you’re hitting on something that we just touched upon," he says, "and I think as season five continues, you’re going to continue seeing the effect of those two women on one another and standing by one another as they confront things from the past, [as] they confront things from the present moving forward."

At times, Regina and Snow's relationship has led to some distinct role-reversals, a scenario which the writers are very aware of. "I think one of the things we just saw a couple episode ago, in “Labor of Love,” was Regina being the one to go up into the loft and have to give Snow the pep talk, and say, ‘Find that strong character who you used to be, because we need her now,'" says Chambliss. "Just in terms of evolution, you would never think… the woman who blamed Snow White, unfairly blamed her for the death of Daniel, would be in the opposite position of trying to make this woman, whom she spent so much of her life hating, find the hope and become that hero who, the whole time in the Enchanted Forest, she wanted to destroy."

"We give props to Lana (Parrilla) and Ginny (Goodwin) for their performances there," Chambliss continues, "because that scene just distilled what that whole episode was about. I think, from Regina’s point of view, she’s not the kind of person who’s going to talk about that, and that does take them to these extreme circumstances where it pushes what she’s feeling. And it’s not something that happened overnight, she’s probably been feeling this way for a long time. But in that moment, she realized she had to be honest with her and say something that she probably thought she would never say to Snow."

Lana Parrilla and Ginnifer Goodwin as Regina and Snow White. Image Credit: ABC Studios

Regina and Snow's hostility played out, for the most part, during the early days of Snow and Charming's relationship. When asked if the Charmings would face changes in their partnership, Goodman gives a bit of a tease for what they'll encounter together. "You’re much more going to see the two of them facing things that the two of them have faced in their past as opposed to facing interpersonal stuff between the two of them," he offers. "And that doesn’t just go for them. In the episode coming up featuring Captain Hook ("The Brothers Jones," airing Sunday March 27), we’re going to be seeing him delving back into his backstory and one of his most important relationships with his brother, and seeing the unfinished business that he has in terms of that relationship."

Another relationship that will face unfinished business is that of Gold and Belle. We learned in "Devil's Due" that the beauty and the beast are expecting a child. This happy occasion is marred by Gold's past decision to sell his second-born baby to an Atlantean healer, a deal which now applies to the impending Gold-en child. "This is a character who is always walking a line between good and bad and he’s always being tested between making decisions between power and love," says Goodman. "I think you're gonna see him in a new mode, where he is really, in a way I don’t think he has before, coming to terms with that duality and being a little more open about those two sides of him, and how both of those sides need to co-exist in order for him to be who he is."

Coming to terms with duality is a challenge all of our characters face, including the most Wicked of them all, Zelena. Many audience members have expressed hope that she will let go of her wickedness and find redemption, but there appears to be no stopping her at present. There is, of course, the possibility that she will find love, and that this will be the catalyst for her turning to the side of good. One possible mate is Hades; #WickedDevil is the latest ship name to appear on the Twitterverse, and Goodman and Chambliss support it. "We like it!" says Goodman with a laugh. "It’s definitely an interesting pairing," echoes Chambliss. "And I think it teases what’s to come. Hades, right now, other than the connections he’s had to our characters through their unfinished business, does have a connection to our characters that we haven’t seen yet. So I think I”d say to the audience, 'keep watching,' because there are some fun surprises with Hades and some of our other characters."

Greg Germann as Hades. Image Credit: ABC Studios

Whatever surprises are in store for the end of season five and their episode "Only You," they were unable to share them with me ("If we do, you'll never get the opportunity to speak with us again!" laughs Goodman), but with such quality storytelling to their names, rest assured that Andrew Chambliss and David H. Goodman have helped craft something special.

Once Upon A Time airs Sundays at 8pm on ABC. Thank you to Andrew Chambliss, David H. Goodman and ABC Studios.

]]><![CDATA[An Enchanting Conversation with Elliot Knight - by Ashley Benson]]>Fri, 13 Nov 2015 16:43:27 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/an-enchanting-conversation-with-elliott-knight-by-ashley-bensonHockity pockity! I had the fortune to grab a few minutes with Elliot Knight, Once Upon a Time's enigmatic Merlin, and was able to ask him about his experience playing the famed sorcerer, as well as his craft and how he does that voodoo that he do so well.

Elliot Knight (Image credit: Isaac Sterling Photography)

I’m interested to know what it’s like for you to be portraying a character as legendary as Merlin on a show known for its twists and turns like Once Upon a Time?

I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to play such an iconic character of popular myth and legend. It’s great to get to create a brand new interpretation of Merlin and to see how he is received by the fans and also how the story unfolds as he is introduced to the rollercoaster that is the world of Once.

What is the one thing you strove to emphasize in your portrayal of Merlin that you think sets your take apart from all the others? What is one thing you hope viewers take away from your performance?

He’s already different than every other Merlin without me having to do anything! Honestly, I haven’t concerned myself with actively trying to make my Merlin different to other’s portrayals, but more to focus on the heart of this Merlin being appropriate to blend effectively into the world of Once Upon A Time. I have enjoyed giving Merlin a lighter and more relaxed energy than we normally see from characters on the show when he first arrived. This was something I had discussed with Eddie [sic] and Adam and we thought it would be a refreshing contrast from the usually heavy themes of the episodes.

As we saw in ‘Nimue” more and more of your scenes on Once Upon a Time feature moments that are intense and emotional. It sounds exhausting! Can you talk about how you, as an actor, get into that headspace and what you do to prepare for filming these intense scenes?

Yes, it definitely can be exhausting! Most of all, I love what I do, and for me there is nothing more enjoyable and satisfying than really getting to connect with the emotional drives of a character you are playing. Episode 7 was a great opportunity to do this. We get to see not only what makes Merlin magical, but also what makes him human. I believe that behind every magical being there is a story of great human emotion, and I relished getting to explore Merlin’s. For this episode, I was very lucky to be working with Jen (Morrison) and Caroline (Ford), who are both two wonderfully talented and committed actors that make playing my part in scenes with them much easier. As an actor, I like to relate myself to the characters I play. So if my character is going through a loss, I will try to connect with my own experience of loss and then apply those emotions to the scene. For me this approach helps to make the scene feel much more real and grounded, and often leads to me discovering a deeper understanding of my character’s emotional journey.

Obviously you don’t have to go through extensive Dark One make up like others on the cast, but how long does it take to “create Merlin”? Can you give the fans a taste of a typical day for you on set?

Up, shower, drive to work, breakfast, hair and make up (which is usually takes about 10 minutes but I will stay for 20 to catch up with everyone!), into my costume which is actually pretty simple, the bits I can do myself anyway! Usually my belt and cape would be added on set after rehearsals: The belt is tied up intricately at the back and the cape is... heavy.

Elliot Knight as Merlin (Image credit: ABC)

Who inspired you growing up and what words of wisdom from them stand out to you?

I never had an obvious role model for acting when I was growing up. A lot of the people who were famous and successful looked nothing like me and I didn’t relate to, or at least no one who did was being talked about. I didn’t seem to have the same points of inspiration as other people did around me that were interested in similar things. So to that end I’m really just doing my own thing and not trying to emulate anybody else's path or career. I’ve always said that the best I could hope for is that one day I might be a source of inspiration for another young kid who wants to achieve but doesn’t really feel like they fit in, to the norm, just like I didn’t have when I was a kid. That would be wonderful.

What’s it like being on set with so many fierce and strong actresses? Do you have any favorite scenes with Jennifer Morrison or Caroline Ford?

I think my favourite thing about the show is how it celebrates the strength of its female characters. I have always found female protagonists more interesting than the classic “heroic man” as I’ve found there can be a tendency for them to deny themselves emotional vulnerability that is often so important to what makes the character who they are. After all, to possess true strength one has to acknowledge their weaknesses. Jen has been so brilliant as Emma from the very beginning; she allows herself to be present and true in each moment that comes and it is a joy to work with her. I loved every scene I got to do with Caroline - we get on really well and had fun everyday we were on set together. Naturally, it made all of the Merlin/Nimue scenes easy and enjoyable and I would do them all again!

Caroline Ford as Nimue, Elliot Knight as Merlin, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan. (Image credit: ABC)

Did you find it at all intimidating to be at the heart (pun intended) of some of the deepest lore having to do with the mythology of Once Upon a Time? How familiar were you with the show before you got the role?

Before I met Adam and Eddie [sic] I hadn’t seen any of the show. But after they told me about it and that they were interested in me being Merlin, I went home and started watching right from the very beginning. I was a Disney kid and so it already sounded exciting just from our conversation. I started working my way through season 1 and then when I knew I would be playing Merlin I went into overdrive to watch all of the other 3 seasons before I started filming. I felt it was important to have watched everything so that I could know every detail of this world and these characters before entering as Merlin, as I felt he would know these things also. Merlin is the most powerful sorcerer of all the realms in Once which I believe greatly informs the energy he should have and the way in which he may conduct himself. So obviously, I wanted to know what that would be before I came on set to start!

I see you tweet with your #Apprentices often, can you speak about what the response to Merlin has been like?

Amazing! I genuinely did not expect to have such a warm and LOUD welcome from the Oncers, but they blew me away. I did expect there to be a certain level of anticipation for Merlin’s arrival as its been built up for what seems like a small eternity. But the fans have been amazing and made me feel very supported both leading up to and during my time working on the show. It means a lot to me - and to Merlin!

I assume you’ve had experience working with CGI before on Sinbad, but do you find wielding Merlin’s powers to be challenging at all?

It’s so much fun! I do think a lot of the time that I was meant to do roles like this. I love wielding magic and interacting with imaginary forces and objects, I always have. Maybe I am partly magic! Or partly crazy. Who knows! I do wish I could have *poofed* more though - apparently Merlin really likes walking places!

Merlin and Emma. Walking. (Image credit: ABC)

What is one thing about playing your character that is a challenge most people might not realize?

It’s usually a challenge to play any character that already has so many well-known and loved representations, as you can feel that there are expectations you have to meet or that you will fall short of no matter what you do. Honestly though, I haven’t felt any pressure like this. I have just enjoyed having the opportunity to play a brilliant role in a well loved show that nobody like me has got to do before. That’s already wonderful. And I would be remiss not to be happy about that.

Can you speak on the difference between acting in a television show to acting on stage? Obviously when you act in a play you get one run through, but television work seems to be a bit more choppy and repetitive behind the scenes. I’m interested to know how the two differ for you in terms of how you do your work.

Predominantly I have worked on productions for television and film, which often is a very different process to working on stage. Rehearsals, for one thing, are something that are a must in theatre, but you are lucky to get at all in television. For this and many other reasons, acting for the screen demands a contrasting but equally as important set of disciplines. Because of the quick turn around and chopping and changing of scenes and scripts, it’s important to understand the ins and outs of your character as thoroughly as you can so that you can adapt to quickly changing circumstances. Personally, I approach my work in a very intuitive manner, so working on TV suits me. I like to act on gut and instinct rather than on processed thought, which takes time that you often don’t have on TV. However, I will take my time to figure out my character on a more intellectual level before I begin filming, with the intention that I will have a deep enough understanding of them to be able to act on their instincts while I am shooting. But I do really enjoy both; I would love to do some theatre again soon.

Do you have any advice for young actors and actresses out there? Is there anything you’ve learned from being on the Once Upon a Time set?

I’m learning new and old things all the time, its one of the wonderful parts of being an actor. You are constantly working with different people, all with their own approaches to and perspectives on work and life. The more people that I meet, the more I realise that everyone’s approach and perspective is valid and meaningful. There is no wrong way and as such there is no right way. There is only YOUR way. And that’s all you have to focus on doing as an actor. Bringing what you bring, because nobody else can in the same way. It’s a lesson not to doubt yourself and not to question your ability or choices. Believe in yourself and believe in the work and you will be fascinating to observe.

If you could get a guest role on any television show, UK or US, what would that be and why?

I would love to be in Peaky Blinders - it’s a great show with a brilliant cast, and also it’s set in my hometown! It would be great to be part of a project that’s so close to home.

I know you can’t spoil any of the upcoming episodes, but if you were to describe what happens next for Merlin and Emma on Once Upon a Time, what one word would you use?

SPELLBINDING!

Thank you to Elliot Knight and ABC.
Elliot can be found through social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Ashley Benson can be found on Twitter at @MitigatedText.

Zach Van Norman contributed to this report.

]]><![CDATA[The Dark Swan in Camelot: Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis discuss Once Upon A Time's fifth season with Zach Van Norman]]>Sun, 27 Sep 2015 18:40:42 GMThttp://www.onceuponafandom.com/interviews/the-dark-swan-in-camelot-adam-horowitz-and-eddy-kitsis-discuss-once-upon-a-times-fifth-season

Photo courtesy ABC Studios

The Dark Swan. Camelot. Merida. Apart, these phrases have their own meaning, but when combined, it means that season five of ABC’s hit series Once Upon A Time has finally arrived! Series creators Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz chatted with Once Upon A Fan’s Zach Van Norman for our annual premiere interview, where they dished on the quest to save the Savior, the journey to Camelot, and what we can expect to see from primetime's first-ever LGBT fairy tale storyline.

My first question is about Emma, since she’s the focus of Season 5. She’s always had a special magic since she is the Savior and sort of the embodiment of true love. So I was curious, now that she’s the Dark One, and the embodiment of Dark magic, how are those two things going to coexist within her? What kind of struggle is she going to face with this?

Horowitz: I think that, you know, Emma’s going to struggle with the darkness in that it’s not like flipping a switch where she’s changed who she is; it’s more about how the Dark One accentuates who you already are, and then kind of pushes you towards maybe making not-great choices that you wouldn’t normally make.

When Rumple was the Dark One, his mission was first to find his son, and then that transitioned into keeping ahold his power. Emma's goal is obviously gonna be to rid herself of the darkness, but I’m curious about you guys can tell us as far as the Dark Swan and what her goal would be?

Kitsis: I think that what you’re gonna see is that Emma is trying her hardest to resist the Darkness. She’s on a path to find Merlin as the Apprentice told her, and trying to get it out of her. But as we saw with Rumplestiltskin, the darkness itself is like the apple, you know? Once you take a bite it’s hard to get rid of the taste. I think in a lot of ways having the dagger and being the Dark One allows you the freedom to be selfish. It allows you the freedom to make the wrong choice and not feel bad about it, and that is going to be something Emma’s dealing with. And what her motives are, what she wants to do, what is happening, is the mystery of the first half of the season.

Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan. Photo courtesy ABC Studios

We did hear recently this week that Hook and Henry are going to be teaming up to save Emma, so I was curious what we can expect to see with those two as they build a stepfather/stepson relationship.

Kitsis: I think they got it going last year during "Operation Mongoose part 1 and 2". I think Hook, he saw that Henry was a capable young hero on the rise, and I think we’re going to see that this year. I think this is a year where we’re going to see Henry go from being a kid to being a young man. I think he’s really grown up and the stories that we’re telling about him this year reflect that.

One of the things that you guys said is that Henry’s going to be getting a love interest this season and her name is Violet, and we’re finding out more about her in episode 2. We’re very excited about that, he’s finally stepping into his own love story. He does still have his role as the Author to contend with though, so my question is, did Henry’s power as the Author break when he broke the quill, or does he still have magic that he has yet to discover?

Horowitz: I think that Henry broke the quill making a very difficult decision at the end of last season, and I think in this season we’re going to see the ramifications of that decision pretty early on.

Jared Gilmore as Henry Mills. Photo courtesy ABC Studios

A follow-up on that one: where are the stories going to be recorded now? Is it going to be the same book or is that going to change?

Kitsis: (joking) On ABC. I would say that is something that is, um… we’ll have to wait and see. But I would think that… we saw a lot of empty books in the Sorcerer’s [house] so if he runs out of room, he has lots of empty notebooks.

I had mentioned Henry and Hook a moment ago, but they’re not the only ones. Regina and Henry, it seems like they would team up as well to save Emma especially after they started getting close during Operation Mongoose, and their mother-son bond deepened. How is their relationship going to be affected as they try to save Emma?

Kitsis: I think that, you know, they’re in a pretty strong place and they have been. Henry really believed in his mom, even though she was the Evil Queen. I think he’s really proud of her, and I think he’s really proud of how far she’s come and I think they’re very close, and they have a very similar mission here which is to save Emma. You know, Emma took on the darkness at the end of last year to save Regina’s life and if there’s one thing I can tell you about Regina, it’s that she doesn’t like owing anyone.

Yeah, I would imagine so. Glad to expect some fireworks there. I want to turn to Zelena for a second because a lot has been teased about her pregnancy and the effect it’s going to have on Regina and Robin. But she’s a pretty power-hungry person and it seems like she may not take kindly to a new Dark One, especially since it’s Emma, so I’m curious how Zelena is going to play into the quest to save the Savior.

Horowitz: I think that Zelena is a character who has her own agendas and always has her own agendas, so that’s going to really color how she does or doesn’t help with the efforts to assist Emma.

Kitsis: yeah, there may be a main plot going on, but as far as Zelena is concerned, she’s in her own show and she’s going to deal with her own story and her own agenda on her own time, and she’s not… she’s to be feared, I can tell you that much.

Good to know. And now turning to a good buddy of Zelena’s: Mr. Gold. Gold was a coward without his magic, but he did the brave thing in season 4 and reached out to the Queens of Darkness and putting his fate in their hands. Now that he’s been freed from the dagger and lost his magic, is he going to see the light or is he going to face an unexpected darkness within himself and maybe want his powers back?

Kitsis: I think that… we have a really interesting story for him in the new arc that is going to be thematically resonant with things in his past, but he’s also going to be facing new challenges. But I think that the truth is that the darkness is within everybody, and some people can resist it a lot easier than others and so I would say that he still has some struggles within him during this first half of the season.

Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin. Photo courtesy ABC Studios

OK. And a quick one with him too, it’s something that we all wonder about but it hasn’t been clearly defined: does Mr. Gold have a first name and will we ever find out what it is?

Horowitz: No comment.

Kitsis: No comment.

There’s been a lot of media promotion of the show, and one of the photos for Camelot shows a lot of characters and the enchanted rose from Beauty and the Beast. It also appears to show a book or something leaning up against the rock. I was wondering if you could shed any light on what that is, if it’s even a book or not, if you can even say.

Horowitz: I don’t know what that photo is, so I’m not sure I can comment.

Kitsis: Yeah, I don’t know. My guess is that, you know, if they’re going in search of Merlin then Merlin will probably have his own spell book, so I would put my money on that.

Elliott Knight as Merlin. Photo courtesy ABC Studios

We’ve heard a lot about Camelot but not a lot about Merlin besides the fact that everyone is looking for him and he’s going to be played by Elliott Knight. What more can you tell us about Merlin?

Kitsis: We’re going to explore Merlin and his backstory and his origin story, so what I can tell you is that, like Camelot, things aren’t always what they appear to be. So with Merlin, we’re going to really understand his story and his origin story and how that ties into the Dark One. Because in a lot of ways, we know him as the Sorcerer, and he seems to be the opposite of the Dark One and we’re going to dive into why that is.

Merida is coming, which obviously means the themes of Brave are coming with her, so I’m curious how the theme of bravery is going to factor into the Camelot story and the broader arcs of Season 5.

Kitsis: It’s going to tie in, um… [laughs] It will tie in… Adam, what’s the way to say it?

Horowitz: I would say that, you know, the addition of Merida to the show is in a way that we think is organic to what our characters are going through. And that is not like, “We’re going the ‘Brave’ story, we’re doing the Camelot story’ or we’re doing all these separate stories. We’re telling a story that’s starting with Emma’s journey as she’s taken on this darkness, and it’s going to encompass many places, people and things. And Merida fits in in a way that we’re really excited to see, and we think that, you know, in the tradition of our Once Upon A Time strong female characters who can also kick butt, she fits right in, and we’re excited for the audience to see how she does.

Amy Manson as Merida. Photo courtesy ABC Studios

I’m glad you mentioned that, because since its premiere, Once has been known for breaking stereotypes with its depiction of female heroines from Snow White to Mulan (PS by the way, very excited that Jamie Chung is coming back), and last week Entertainment Weekly announced that you’ll be continuing to break the mold with what is essentially the first mainstream LGBT fairy tale character. This is obviously a major change for pop culture, it’s going to allow people from teens to grandparents to see themselves reflected in this genre for the first time. Given the significance of this, I have to ask if this story is going to play out in a way that's more than lip service.

Horowitz: I don’t know what you mean by "lip service" but what I can say is that we want the story to be awesome and well-done and a surprise.

Kitsis: I would say this: we’re going to tell you a love story that happens to be not between a man and a woman. We are going to tell it no different than [how] we told Snow and Charming, Regina and Robin Hood, or Emma and Captain Hook, because love is very important on our show, and that’s what the show is about. And as far as "lip service," I’m not sure what that means, but what I can tell you is that we’re going to set it up in the first half of the season, and the story’s going to play out in the second half of the season, and we are treating it no different than any other love story. Even though, as you say, this may be the first time for this and that, for us, we’ve always respected love, and that’s how we’re dealing with it.

Horowitz: And I would say this: who it’s going to be involving, which characters, whether they’re already on the show, new characters, old characters that no one’s even thought of, we’re not going to comment on because we want to keep some surprise and some sense of mystery to what we’re doing. But it’s important enough, it’s important to us to reflect the world as it is, and to tell a love story. Love is love to us on the show, and as far as lip service stuff and talking about something, we’re talking about doing something, so that’s our plan.

Cool. You guys have done a really good job of incorporating both the source material as well as the Disney version of the stories that you've explored so far, especially with the Frozen storyline and having the Snow Queen involved as well, it was both of them running at the same time. Can we expect to see the same balancing act for the Camelot story and references to The Sword in the Stone? Any Madame Mim in there? What can you tell us about that?

Horowitz: I think that we certainly are cognizant of the Disney history with relation to some of these stories, and as we did with Frozen where we both acknowledged the Disney movie as well as the source of the story. I think you’ll see a lot of that. We draw on many influences as we put the show together and we try to create our own original Once Upon A Time spin.

Once Upon A Time's fifth season premieres tonight, September 27, at 8pm on ABC. Check your local listings.

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