Category: Fan Interviews - Once Upon A Fandom

She Loved Once Upon A Time

10/10/2016

Crystal Lars

Crystal Lars was an exquisite soul who left us too soon at the age of 19. Her account was a cheery presence for Oncers, and her "Why We Love Once Upon a Time" pics with captions were always a joy to see on my timeline. Her dear friend Elisa Barry (@ElisaBarry7) shares here Crystal's inspirational Untold Story.~Teresa Martin

Crystal was the most warm and beautiful person I have ever known. She had this incredibly positive attitude. Crystal loved Once Upon a Time more than anything. It actually kept her going in the face of her cancer.

I only met Crystal two years ago (Nov.) through my girlfriend. She was her best friend and I had no idea that this positive ray of holiness and spirit would become my best friend too. We were this perfect trio of friends, but things were not perfect for us.

The day Crystal found out about her cancer, she got a social media account. And then another and another. She wanted to leave her mark on this world. She wanted to make an impact on someone who did not know her personally. She saw all the hate in the fandom and knew what she had to do.

The Power Of Dearies: Robert Carlyle Fans Raising Money For a Statue and Promote Awareness of Scottish Boxing Legend Benny Lynch

4/10/2016

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 OUAT until 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.

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 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.

Robert Carlyle at a Statue for Benny Fundraising event last April

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 Barney Thomson (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

Pretties With A Purpose: Rebecca Mader Fans Raise Charity Money For Her Birthday

29/7/2016

Pretties With A Purpose
Fan interview by Teresa Martin (@Teresa__Martin)

The cast of Once Upon A Time has inspired thousands of fans around the world to help people in the world community. Rebecca Mader (affectionally known as Bex) inspired Oncer Jordan Wright (@JNWSinger) to raise money for charities as a birthday present. Jordan spoke with Teresa Martin about her project (@wicked_2016).

What made you become a Oncer?

I have been a fan of Once Upon A Time since the beginning. I saw a promo commercial for the pilot and thought to myself, "This is a show about Disney. I love Disney. I'll give it a shot and hope they don't mess it up." Haha. And the second Lana, aka Regina, burst through those doors and crashed the Charming wedding I thought, "THAT'S The Evil Queen?? Yeah, I think I'm going to like this show". And I did. I loved the messages of hope, standing up for yourself and really going after the things you want. The show came at a time where my personal group of friends was breaking up, and in the fandom I ended up finding some of the best friends I've ever had. All thanks to this show.

How did you become a fan of Rebecca Mader?

I went to Vancouver in 2014 with one of those great friends named Laura Rhinehart (@suzieloublog) and we went to one of their sets to watch them film. We stood outside for about twelve hours and got to meet a lot of the cast. Bex was there the whole day, and every time she walked by she'd wave and say "hello". Towards the end of the day she was still filming and we hadn't technically met her yet. Plus, it being around freezing temperatures and me being from a hot, southern climate, I was freezing and couldn't stop shaking from the cold. So I basically chose to save my toes over meeting Bex. Haha.

Fast forward a few months. I went to the Spooky Empire convention in Orlando, FL. My friends and I walked into the autograph room, and I think Bex was the only member of the cast who was there because it was basically just the check-in day. I got in her line and when she saw me she yelled out, "THANK GOD!!! ANOTHER RED HEAD!!!" She pulled me into the tightest side hug I'd ever been in, and she said, "Ooh! You're warm! Let me pull you in closer!" And basically used me for body heat! We took a picture and I showed her a hand sign I'd made up combining the evil regal sign with her wicked sign, which she loved and it was just a really funny, entertaining moment.

Fandom United!

19/7/2016

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.

With A Smile and a Song--An Interview with Snow Cosplayer Malerie McDonald

30/4/2016

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.

Pixie Dust Never Lies: Cosplay and Second Chances with Reini Side

18/4/2016

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

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

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.)

2. How did you first start cosplaying as The Evil Queen?

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!

She Will Rock You: A Chat with director Erin Stegeman

19/9/2015

Wind whips through sails as I step foot onto a pirate ship for the San Diego Comic-Con 2015 Marked Men party. There are many costumed partygoers in attendance, mermaids and a plethora of pirates among them. There are also fair maidens dressed as princesses, though not of the Disney variety. Or are they?

As I make my way downstairs to the third level, there are microphones in place and band members standing at the ready. The lights change as a familiar-looking pirate steps out from a back area and makes his way to the stage. He approaches a mic, then moves to a second. waving his hooked hand. Looking up at the audience above him, he smiles. “‘Ello, mates! Welcome to the Marked Men party, on board my Jolly Roger. Just one second, please.” He stops and takes a swig from his jug, shouting spiritedly after he finishes. “Normally you won’t find this on ABC, but we’re not on ABC, are we?” he asks the crowd.

No. This is not ABC, nor is this an episode of the network’s series Once Upon A Time. This is Once Upon A Time: The Rock Opera.

OUAF Interview A Fan: Tom Abaud

5/7/2015

Teresa: When did you first become a fan of Once Upon a Time?

Tom: The Season One was good, but I really became a fan when the character of Captain Hook came on. I loved to discover a new story about this character and the interpretation by Colin O’Donoghue is just perfect. I think that he worked a lot to propose a Hook version that we had never seen before.

Teresa: When did you realize you looked like Hook?

Tom: I didn’t realize I looked like him, but my friends told me that we looked a lot alike.

Teresa: How did you first start cosplaying as Hook?

Tom: After my friends told me I looked like Hook, I decided to try to do the makeup and did my first photoshoot. It started that way. I put my first picture on your website. Xivents saw it and contacted me for the Fairy Tales 2. All began thanks to you.

OUAF Interview A Fan: Paige & Marissa

29/3/2014

In our latest fan interview, Paige and Marissa talk about the Evil Regals and their adventures with Lana at PaleyFest.

OUAF Interview A Fan: Shipping Swan Queen

22/3/2014

SwanQueen - The mention of those words generates a multitude of opinions. Annie (@anniesass) shares her perspective on one of the most popular and controversial ships in the Once Upon A Time fandom.

How did you hear about Once?

 There was a promo on Swedish television in February 2012 and I thought I would check it out before the show aired in Sweden. So I watched the first episode online and that was it, I was hooked. I watched all the episodes that had aired in the US and then I just waited a week like everyone else. I remember telling all my friends about this show but sadly, no one wanted to watch it with me. I had a twitter account and started to talk to other fans of the show.

What was your first impression of the show?

 I was captivated by the show right from the pilot. The wedding scene where the Evil Queen interrupts the wedding is still a favorite. I remember gasping for air when the doors burst open. I loved Disney as a child and still do, so for me it was a great twist to classic stories.

OUAF Interview A Fan: Phoenix Heart 815

15/3/2014

OUAF chat with dedicated Oncer Sarah (@PhoenixHeart815) about her involvement in the Oncer Project, her fan artwork and the thrill of winning ABC's 'Save Henry' competition.

How did you hear about Once?

It was just over a year since Lost had ended and I was in need of another good show to watch. In August of 2011, I was walking past the TV and saw “From the writers of Lost” flash on the screen. Whatever task I was in the middle of no longer mattered because that commercial had my full attention. I was so intrigued with what was happening and had so many questions. I looked up which writers from Lost were involved and was excited for this show, since Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis wrote some of my favorite episodes on Lost. Since then, I have not missed a single episode of show.

What was your first impression of the show?

A modern twist to classic fairy tales trapped in our world was an idea I had never seen or heard of on TV before. It was an instant hit for me. I loved the way the stories that were told within each episode were similar to Lost the most. Also, this was the first time a TV show delved into the backstories of these famous characters, stories neither Disney nor their literary versions included.

OUAF Interview A Fan: Feather of Hope

8/3/2014

OUAF chat with the creators of Feather of Hope, Dieuw(@Diejj), Lusiana (@Uglylusiana) & Xiluva (@Xiluvanyane), about what inspired them to create such a supportive website and all things Once Upon A Time.

How did you hear about Once?

Lusiana: On tumblr, I got captivated by a few gif sets, I am sure they were about Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen. I went looking for information about the show and then, well, it was obsession!

Dieuw: My best friend told me I had to watch it, since it was the ultimate uni-work-procrastination-activity. So naturally I was willing to try....and I have to say...yes, OUAT has kept me from studying quite often.

Xiluva: I was watching TV and during the commercials they were announcing OUAT. And Lana was there, as the Evil Queen…and I thought OMG! So afterwards I went to youtube and found several fan videos…I confess that in the beginning I thought Regina and Emma were a couple because of the SwanQueen videos that I found on YT, but then I really loved Regina so I started watching OUAT just because of Regina.

OUAF Interview A Fan: Charm Attack with Anthony Covino

2/3/2014

How did you first hear about Once?

First thank you so much for allowing me the chance to share some of my experiences that have come about from being involved with "Once Upon a Time" as a viewer and a hardcore fan. I first heard about "Once Upon a Time" from Josh Dallas. Since I had been following him on Twitter for a long time, he started to talk about a new TV program that he recently began filming. Then he started to explain how the series got a pickup from ABC and the next thing he knew, he was heading to Comic Con to promote the show! Buzz just built from there and the show was off and running in a big way.

Share your first impressions of the show?

I was eager to see exactly which path the show would take. Sometimes the breakdowns of a Pilot episode could be misleading or change once a show gets into its regular rythym. I was immediately intrigued about the fact that our favorite fairy tale characters had backstories and lives that we didn't know about as children. It just seemed like a real "Why has no one thought of this before?" moment. That being said, I was also floored with the cast that was assembled to bring such stories together. I had been a huge fan of Ginnifer Goodwin from her work on "Big Love" and many film roles. Her acting opposite Josh instantly had a spark that couldn't be denied. Of course, we now know that a spark like that translated into something much more than just a performance on a TV show.

OUAF Interview A Fan: The Ugly Ducklings

15/2/2014

In the first of a new series of interviews focusing on the Once Upon A Time fandom, Once Upon A Fan caught up with Ugly Duckling founders Erin and Marie to learn more about their passion for the show and how the Ugly Ducklings came to be.

How did you first hear about Once?

Marie: I first heard about Once Upon a Time through a TV ad that the channel that airs the show in Latin America had on. The same day after I met Jennifer Morrison at the airport in Buenos Aires (Argentina), I looked for the times when they were airing it. I felt the urge to watch her new project and instantly fell in love with OUAT.

Erin: I saw the trailer featuring the song "Rescue Me" by Kerrie Roberts and immediately fell in love with the song and the idea of the show. The time slot was actually horrible for me because I played soccer every Sunday night - but the trailer was so captivating, I had to give the show a shot. Instant adoration.