Interview With Lana Parrilla On Once Upon A Time

Lana Parrilla plays the Evil Queen in ABC's Once Upon A Time, which debuted last year and is about fairy tale characters who have been cursed to live in the real world in the fictional town of Storybrooke, Maine. It features many popular characters from different stories such as Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio, The Mad Hatter, Rumplestiltskin, Prince Charming and Snow White.

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WGTC: Also, last finale we saw Regina and Emma team up. Will we get to see more of that?

Lana Parrilla: You’ll see some of it and then they’re torn apart. So, something happens that breaks them apart.

WGTC: Is there anything that you do to help you get into that evil mood or into the character’s head?

Lana Parrilla: [Laughs]

WGTC: I mean I imagine the costume must be uncomfortable or something like that to help you–

Lana Parrilla: Yeah, I know this sounds of crazy but, I really just think about her life. I think about what she experienced. So for me it doesn’t come from a bad place, it comes from a place where there’s justice. She wants revenge cause she’s been hurt and her happiness has been taken away from her. She can’t attract anyone and I think that, you know, is almost kind of like the little girl in some of us, or the boy in some of us that throws tantrums and they can’t get what they want. Sometimes it happens cause it’s all her fault as well. Especially Regina it’s almost like she has that as a child.

WGTC: That’s an interesting way to look about that.

Lana Parrilla: Yeah, I think about that a lot. Like she has some bratty moments, she wants things to be the way she wants them and then they retaliate and she retaliates back and stops them by casting spells. [Laughs]

WGTC: Will we get to see more of Daniel or her parents, or more of her past young life this season?

Lana Parrilla: Yes this season you will see her parents. You will see both.

WGTC: Will we also find out why, or what the source of animosity is between the Evil Queen and Rumpelstiltskin?

Lana Parrilla: Uh, yes. You will [Laughs]. You will see how they met, when they met and why they’re in each other’s lives.

WGTC: Cool! That’s great!

Lana Parrilla: I know. [Laughs] There’s a LOT to look forward to.

WGTC: Yeah there’s all these storylines that I’m really invested in, it’s crazy I mean, it’s a lot of stuff that I feel sometimes it’s overwhelming but it really works out in the end though. I feel like this is the Avengers of the fairy tale genre.

Lana Parrilla: Yeah! We all are kind of our own superheroes in a weird way. They don’t come from such a bad place; it’s just that bad things have happened to them to make them bad.

WGTC: What’s it like working in an ensemble TV show, even though you’re one of the key characters, there’s still so many other people, and the cast is still growing each episode.

Lana Parrilla: I mean it’s wonderful. I wish we were all kind of working on the same days and all together all the time. But that doesn’t really happen, you know. I do miss out and sometimes they miss out and like I said, I have yet to work with Colin who plays Captain Hook. With Aurora [Sleeping Beauty] and Mulan, you know those characters.

Sometimes I’m bummed out like ‘I wanna meet these actors and talk with them and get to know them’ but I can’t because I don’t have a story with them yet. [Laughs] But I love our cast is growing. I think it’s great I think there are so many stories of fairy tales that other people love and I think they wanna see them and we’re able to fulfill that so I’m all for it. There are certain characters I’d like to see of my own so. You know, one of them is Ursula. I’d love to see her. And I’d love to see, you know Robin Hood to make an appearance.

WGTC: That would be REALLY cool to see Robin Hood.

Lana Parrilla: Yeah, Robin Hood would be cool wouldn’t it? I’d like to see those characters.

WGTC: I think it’ll happen at some point or the other. Whether it’s this season or next [I think it’s just a matter of time] before we get an appearance.

Lana Parrilla: Yeah I think it’ll happen too.

WGTC: You mentioned Ursula and a lot of people want to know, do you think there’s a possibility that like the Disney movies there could be a musical episode? I think it’d be awesome if you played Ursula and sang like ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ or something like that.

Lana Parrilla: I know I would love that! [Laughs]

WGTC: Yeah I asked a lot of fans and they were really hoping for a musical episode and they asked me specifically if you would sing cause they really want to hear you sing apparently!

Lana Parrilla: On the show? I’d love to. I’d love to sing ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls.’ I think it’d be AWESOME. I was talking to Sebastian Stan, who plays Mad Hatter, and we were playing a scene the other day and [he was] like “I feel like this scene could be our musical scene”. [Laughs] And I was like “You’re absolutely right like we could totally sing this one and it would be hilarious and so fun”, the musical version of Once Upon A Time. I don’t think they’re going to do it, it’s funny that you say it because so many of the actors want to do that, but I don’t know if the producers are really interested [Laughs].

WGTC: Right, but you know maybe you could do a video anyway or make a Youtube video out of it, I think it’d be hilarious.

Lana Parrilla: Like one of our own? [Laughs]

WGTC: Yeah go for it!

Lana Parrilla: Yeah…maybe.

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Author
Juan Sam
Juan has moved around quite a bit, but one thing he's always been is a major geek, whether it's movies, TV shows, superheroes or Doctor Who. He's always been passionate about something or the other, and enjoys getting to express that passion here at We Got This Covered.