At San Diego Comic-Con, I had the opportunity to speak to several members of the cast and crew of some of my favorite shows. At the press room for Once Upon A Time, I was able to speak with series stars Lana Parrilla (Regina Mills) and Jared Gilmore (Henry Mills) about what’s coming up next in Season 6.
Full disclosure: This was my first San Diego Comic-Con, and I really did pretty well in terms of being starstruck and keeping my cool. I am, however, a really big fan of Lana Parrilla, and it got the better of me. One of my questions to Lana turned into a word vomit, and she made fun of me for it. It wasn’t mean or anything, but actually pretty funny. Thought maybe that little story would enhance the article a little bit. I don’t mind being the butt of a joke!
The Elephant In The Room, The Evil Queen:
Of course, with Regina herself sitting there, we had to ask about the Evil Queen. Parrilla had this to say, “[The Evil Queen]’s different than what she used to be.” Things are different now, because the Queen “used to be a part of Regina” who has a conscience, Parrilla told us. The Evil Queen’s mission is clear: “She still is hung up over Snow White and getting her heart,” Parrilla said.
My word vomit question was how the Evil Queen being back affects her relationships and her character as a whole. When I finally got to the end, Parrilla told me: “I think that Regina is still really trying to be that hero still. She looks to Snow. Snow is probably her biggest confidant,” which is definitely not going to make The Evil Queen happy. But, will Regina roll over and let the other part of herself take over? “She’s not just going to let the Evil Queen win,” Parrilla said. “She’s really going to fight for her redemption.”
Jared Gilmore also has an interesting take on the Evil Queen’s arrival, as Henry is affected in a unique way. “Henry now has 3 mothers with the Evil Queen in the situation,” Gilmore said. On how he plans to help, Gilmore added, “He’s willing to do his best to protect his family.” The Evil Queen does love Henry, though, so “he’s probably the safest character in Storybrooke right now,” Parrilla added. There is going to be conflict abounding in Season 6, but “Henry’s probably going to be the most torn,” Parilla said. “Henry always sees the good in everybody.” Maybe even the Evil Queen.
Finally, we ALL wanted to know how Regina was going to grieve over the death of (spoiler alert) Robin Hood last season. “I think Regina is…quite private,” Parrilla told us. While she’s certainly grieving, there seem to be other, pressing matters that Regina is attending to. “Right now we need to save Storybrooke,” Parrilla said of Regina. She will still grieve, but it “happens behind closed doors.”
There you have it, folks, straight from the horse’s mouth. What do you think? Are you excited for Season 6? Let us know in the comments!
Once Upon A Time returns September 25th, 2016 on ABC
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