Interview by Zach Van Norman - @TheZachVan

Zach: First of all, thank you for giving me your time again. I appreciate it. You were on our podcast once with Michael.

Faustino: I remember that. That was a lot of fun actually.

Zach: Thank you for that. Yesterday was fun, too.

Faustino: I should be thanking you guys. That was a really special day.  I only had the opportunity to go to Disneyland when I was in my teens. I’ll be honest with you; I can barely remember the trip. It looked so different this time. It was a really special day and it only happened because of you guys, so thank you.

Zach: No problem. It was fun. It’s been a crazy season for Once Upon A Time. What do you think about the storyline so far and where it’s gone?

Faustino:  I think it’s interesting, I love it. It’s showing so many different layers to the characters and how everything isn’t so cut and dry.  Just when you think it’s this, it’s that. And just when you think it’s that, it’s this.  I think it’s wonderful.  It’s life. It represents life.

Zach: It’s nice that it’s not  so black and white, evil and good. Everyone is kind of mixing it up. What has been your favorite moment of the show so far?

Faustino: Oh my goodness. There are so many. You know, they’re all special moments. There’s just times when we think of little things. We don’t want it to end, ever. The last episode that we worked on we had a really good time. Lee gets into his little character moments sometimes. He had us in stitches between takes while we’re waiting to get set up for the next shot. Just those fun moments when you’re laughing and you’re thinking “I don’t want this to end.” There was that time when we set up on a river on the creek, and it was all rustic. This is where we set up camp . . . I can’t remember which episode this was in particular. I think it was season three.

Zach: I think it was “Lost Girl”.

Faustino: We were all sitting there around the table with Snow, Charming and all the dwarfs and we’re just talking, and then a deer just pops out of nowhere and starts walking into our scene. We’re all just doing our stuff and this beautiful creature just pops out, just starts walking, and wasn’t even startled or anything. It was so natural. We happened to get it into the shot afterwards which is really cool and amazing. Things like that, little special moments that were created throughout. It even started as early on as the Pilot. I think probably one of our last days that we filmed was ours, at the time we didn’t even know whether it’d get picked up.  There was that moment doing the casket scene. We were in the forest. We show up that day.  We just had a beautiful March, it was actually quite warm. And then April 2nd comes around, and it’s snowing. This is supposed to be spring. That scene, I don’t think it would have had the same flavor to it had there not been snow on the ground.

Zach: It felt so appropriate since it was Snow White. 

Faustino: Exactly.

ZACH: I’m Zach Van Norman with Once Upon a Fan. Thank you very much for giving us your time again today.

GIL: Happy to be here. 

ZACH: So, I guess my first question is going to be last time I saw you was for Enchantacon about a year and a half ago, how has life changed for you since then?

GIL: (Laughs) Tremendously, as far as these conventions go. Enchantacon was my first convention. You're right. I think it was a year and a half ago, and right after that I got contacted by Creation Entertainment to be a part of Supernatural conventions which has been a lot of fun. So I think I've probably done, I don't know, eight or ten of those for Supernatural since I saw you last. And it's been a blast, like getting to hang out with those actors and meet those fans, so it's been really great. This is fun too. The Once Upon a Time fans are as awesome, but they're different, you know. There's definitely some crossover I think between the two shows, but Once Upon a Time fans are definitely more Disneyesque I would say!

ZACH: I would agree with that! Lots of cosplay going on today. I was going to ask you too, because you did pick up a big following from Supernatural, how do you compare your role on Supernatural to Eric on Once Upon a Time?

GIL: You know it's interesting because they're both, I guess, kind of important roles to the show but I only did basically two episodes of each show. I was in three episodes of Once Upon a Time, but the third episode was just a fleeting glace of me on the beach kissing Ariel. But they're kind of important roles so I feel like the fans embraced not only the character but me as well. Supernatural I feel has been a little bit different because my two episodes of Supernatural were spread out over at least a year and like I said I've done eight or ten of those conventions so far and I think I'm scheduled to do eight more of those this year. I feel like I've gotten closer with that fan base than the Once Upon a Time fan base, but that's totally understandable since I haven't been on Once Upon a Time since I did it two years ago or over two years ago now. But they're both great fan bases        and as far as the roles go,on Supernatural getting to be a Winchester is pretty cool thing, but also getting to play a Disney prince is awesome as well. I'll be honest with you guys. I just hope that at some point Once Upon a Time will have me back because I feel we've barely scratched the surface of Prince Eric and Ariel. There's just so many great characters on the show. I'm hopeful that at some point they'll have me back. Not holding my breath at this point.

Zach: Thank you for your time, we really appreciate it. Obviously the season is going to end with a big twist for Robin’s story with Regina and Zelena.  When you first got the script about Zelena’s pregnancy and the twist, what were your thoughts?

Sean: This is one of the rare times when I didn’t read it in the script. I actually had a conversation with Adam and Eddy and they explained what we were going to do. This was way back, six months ago or something. They sort of said “we wanted to give you an idea of where we’re going to go because they’re going to be some shocks”.  I was like “wow, twitter…. I’m going to have to stay of that for a couple of years after that storyline comes out”. But it’s part of it, a lot of people get upset and angry but I have to remind people it’s a drama.  If everyone was just going shopping and then drinking wine, it wouldn’t probably be as much as an engaging show. You have to put the heroes and the characters you love in jeopardy and put obstacles in their way for them to overcome it. It’s worth bearing in mind. I always say, and I think I probably heard it from Adam or Eddy “we’re not done telling the story yet”. Whatever’s happening to whatever character, whether it’s good or bad, it may not stay that way, for better or for the worse.

Zach: We’re not quite at Happily Ever After.

Sean: Not just yet. And hopefully not for a long time.

Zach: When you got Robin’s backstory, did it mesh with your own thoughts?

Sean: Not really. I tend to not try and second guess the writers. I was hoping when they told me--the same conversation they told me about the Zelena pregnancy-- that’s when they told me that there was going to be a Robin Hood centric episode. I had no idea what to expect, but I have great faith in them and they are terrific writers. I was really thrilled when I read the episode. I was really excited. There’s one thing in particular I don’t think anyone has noticed yet, at the end of the episode I say to Marian “it’s a charm” which obviously we now know Zelena used and that’s  how she faked Marian. But it also explained why I look like Tom Ellis in Season Two. That’s why if you go back and watch it, because obviously Tom played him then and I took over because Tom couldn’t, but that’s the reason they did it. It was just clever little nuances like how he found the bow. There was also a line that was cut because of time I guess where I said, “Be merry men” and I threatened the money when I cut the Sheriff of Nottingham’s trousers off, which probably is now in the deleted scenes that you’ll see in the DVD. Again it was just answering little questions along the way. And it’s a shame we lose those things but we you only get 42 minutes to tell each episode’s story. I just thought it was great. It was really all encompassing. I just love the pace of the episode. It was just nice to have so much time to tell a bit of Robin Hood’s story.

Zach: It was nice to see as well. You did a great job with your performance.

Sean: Thank you.

Rebecca Mader, Once Upon a Time’s Wicked Witch of the West and LOST alumni, sits down to talk with Zach Van Norman from OnceUponaFans.com

ZACH: I’m Zach Van Norman with Once Upon a Fan. Thank you very much for your time today. I appreciate it.

REBECCA: My pleasure. 

ZACH: Lots of big twists going on with Zelena’s character. Obviously, she’s not quite as dead as some have assumed. Not only is she not dead, but she has been masquerading as Marian for the last several episodes. When you first got the call that they wanted you to come back to the show, and they explained everything to you, what did you think about that? 

REBECCA: I said “Really?!” I was really shocked. I was driving through Beverly Hills, having a normal day and my phone rang. “Hey, it’s Adam and Eddie for you.” I’m like what? Alright. They got back on the phone and said “hey do you want to come back from the dead?” I’m like “Really? Yeah, alright.” It was a really nice surprise. I love playing this character. 

ZACH: What did you think of the twist of Zelena not only being alive but then pregnant with Robin’s and Zelena’s child? 

REBECCA: Oh my God, they told me that. I think I knew that back in September. They are like, this is what we are thinking. This the way we think we’re bringing you back, and then you've been Maid Marian the whole time. I was like, “Oh my God, shut up!” I mean I was driving thinking, the fans are going to go nuts. That’s awful! It’s deliciously awful, you know. So then, on top of it, I didn't find out about the pregnancy. I found out though a crew member actually. I was just like on the set, “Well, you know now that you are pregnant.” I’m like what?! I didn't get the memo, you know, and then I found out. It’s so funny when you are on a TV show, different departments get scripts at different times. So sometimes the costume department and the prop department have gotten the script before the actors. So you hear a conversation, and you go “Wait, what do I do in the next episode?” You don’t even know. It’s crazy. 

ZACH: Yeah, that’s pretty crazy. You bring a lot of small nuances to your performance that I've noticed especially in the episode Heart of Gold. Where Zelena is confronting Gold in the hospital room, and you are leaning in so close to him. You’re just relishing how it is. Where does that kind of just delicious wicked evilness come from? 

REBECCA: I don’t know. There must be something wrong with me, ‘cause I had a really normal childhood. My parents are lovely. They’re still together. They’re my best friends today. They hung out with me on Skype when I did hair and makeup this morning. So I’m actually a little bit concerned where it comes from because with that episode, Heart of Gold, was these two gargantuan scenes where I remember when I got the script I was “Oh, good God! Like Zelena, just like there were pages of me not shutting up, you know what I mean. So, I was a little bit concerned, and then when I went to do the rehearsal, the director was “Oh, should we rehearse it?” I was “Well there’s not a lot to rehearse; I’m just going blah blah blah by the side of the bed.” So we went to do the rehearsal, and I started talking, and I said to the crew, “You might want to have a seat, because we’re going to be here for a while.” Because it just went on while the crew was sitting there. I had no idea how I was going to perform it. I just thought somehow I’m going to have to make this interesting. I didn’t prepare it or anything, but once I become Zelena, I just go off on these tangents and I just literally disappear into this character, and the insanity just comes from somewhere. It’s just like I don’t have any control over it. It’s weird, it just takes me over. 

ZACH: You do a fantastic job with that, I must say. 

REBECCA: Thank you. 

ZACH: She’s a completely captivating character. You bring a lot to the performance. 

REBECCA: Aw, thank you! 

ZACH: I hate the character right now because of what she has done. 

REBECCA: Oh no! That’s good though. I’m doing my job. 

ZACH: Yes, you’re doing it very well. 

REBECCA: If everyone loved me, then I would be like, hmm. You’ve got to love to hate a villain, haven’t you? 

ZACH: Yeah. You do have to. You’re right up there, top tier, I’d say, with Regina and Rumple. You’re just digging it. 

REBECCA: Thank you.

Interview by Zach Van Norman - @TheZachVan

Another iconic character on Once Upon A Time has been the horror icon, Dr. Frankenstein. Oncers know his Storybrooke alter ego as Dr. Whale, the surgeon, OBGYN, General Practitioner and all around mega doctor at Storybrooke Hospital. The man behind our Storybrooke McSteamy is well known actor, David Anders. Our Zach Van Norman had an opportunity to sit down with David and talk all things Once Upon a Time, as well as get a bit of info on his new show, iZombie.