ABC’s Once Upon A Time: 10 Things You Didn’t Know

In the seven seasons of Once Upon A Time, a lot of ground was covered with the characters and settings. With storytelling devices such as flashbacks/forwards, the audience got to know the inhabitants of Storybrooke and beyond on a very intimate level. There was also a vast selection of familiar fairy tale figures who each received focus depending on the episode.

However, while the audience may know all about the fictional characters, some real-life secrets are much more hidden. Read on for ten things about Once Upon A Time that even some superfans may not know.

10 The Idea’s Older Than You Think

Although Once Upon A Time premiered in 2011, series creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis were working on the idea almost a decade earlier. After establishing themselves on shows such as Felicity and Popular, their agent advised them to pitch their original ideas, which they did… in 2003. No one was interested due to the complicated plot and the fact that Horowitz & Kitsis were relative unknowns.

In the meantime, Horowitz and Kitsis got staff writer jobs on Lost, joining mid-way through the first season and remaining until the series ended. With the help of Damon Lindelof, they utilized some of Lost’s storytelling techniques and priorities in Once Upon A Time.

9 Many ‘Lost’ Actors Have Appeared

As a result of the creators’ work on Lost, many actors from that series have appeared on Once Upon A Time, in a variety of capacities. Once series regulars Emilie De Ravin (Belle), Lana Parrilla (Regina), and Rebecca Mader (Zelena) are all Lost alums. De Ravin having played 815 survivor Claire Littleton, Parrilla as an Other named Greta and Mader as Charlotte Lewis, a member of the scientific team who arrived on the island via freighter.

Additionally, Lost regular Jorge Garcia (who played Hugo ‘Hurley’ Reyes) appeared on Once as Anton/Tiny, Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet Burke) played Ingrid and frequent guest star Alan Dale (Charles Widmore) played King George/Albert Spencer.

8 Each Original Actor Was The First Choice

As revealed by Horowitz and Kitsis, each of the original core characters was written with their future portrayer in mind. While they did not assume that their choice would be cast, it was a template of what they wanted. Both men were fans of Big Love which starred Ginnifer Goodwin (Snow White), who happens to be a major Disney fan.

Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold was written specifically for Robert Carlyle, who ended up nailing the part. Similar to Goodwin, the writers were fans of Jennifer Morrison from House and How I Met Your Mother, reaching out to her for the part of Emma Swan.

7 The Cast Didn’t Know About A Major Plot Twist

At the end of season one, Emma breaks the curse that had made the Storybrooke residents, including her parents Snow White and Prince Charming, forget who they really were. It was a major turning point for the series as the actors would now be playing an amalgamation of two characters they had been playing separately.

However, key cast members such as Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas were under the assumption that the story of breaking the curse would remain for the entirety of the series and that they would always be playing the two separate parts.

6 A Key Character Had A Different Start

Although Killian Jones/Captain Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) became one of the core characters of Once Upon A Time, this was not always the case. For starters, he was intended to appear much earlier. The creators had wanted Captain Hook to be in the first season and could not get the rights at that time.

Instead, O’Donoghue was cast as a recurring guest for five episodes in season two with the possibility to become a series regular. Fortunately for the fans, O’Donoghue impressed the right people and was promoted in the second half of that season.

5 Jennifer Morrison Is Very Close In Age To Her On-Screen Parents

On Once Upon A Time, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, and Jennifer Morrison play Snow White, Prince Charming and their daughter, Emma Swan. While things were initially normal (as they can be in fairytale land), Emma being free from the curse that left her parents trapped in time meant that she aged, catching up to them physically.

In real life, Goodwin and Dallas were both born in 1978 and Morrison was born in 1979. To be more precise, Goodwin is eleven months older than her on-screen daughter. Meanwhile, Dallas is five months older than Morrison.

4 Robert Carlyle Had A Specific Reason For Accepting The Job

Aside from enjoying the script or duality of the character that he would be playing, Robert Carlyle had a very personal reason for saying yes to Once Upon A Time. Immediately prior to the series, he had played genius scientist Nicholas Rush in Stargate Universe, the third installment of the Stargate television franchise.

Both SGU and Once shot around the Vancouver, Canada area. As Carlyle had placed his kids in local Canadian schools, he did not wish to uproot them from their lives. Thus, he took on a job that became the next seven years of his life.

3 Sheriff Graham Was Supposed To Have A Different Identity

In episode seven of season one, it is revealed through flashbacks that Storybrooke Sheriff Graham Humbert (Jamie Dornan) is in fact the Huntsman from Snow White’s tale. He had mercifully spared her from the Evil Queen. This meant Emma, being Snow’s daughter, owed him her life.

However, in the initial stages of planning, Graham was going to be another character entirely – while still remaining in the sleuthing side of things. None other than master detective Sherlock Holmes. However, similarly to Hook, the creators could not get the rights and they rethought the character’s backstory, providing a more straightforward link to the overall story.

2 The Pilot Script Tells Almost A Different Story

In the pilot episode and for most of the first season, Emma does not believe Henry’s theories about the curse and plays along to not hurt feelings. However, in the script itself, it is written as if Henry is not telling the truth – that he’s just a little boy making up stories.  There are a few clear instances throughout that point to this.

For example, there is a reference to Henry’s’ casting’ people from his real-life – his adoptive mother and teacher, for example, as characters in the stories. In addition, the stage direction shares Emma’s (named Anna in the script) skepticism about the curse. Finally, the clock hands moving at the end play out effectively the same as the episode – a twist, as confirmation that Henry was right.

1 Jared Gilmore Left Mad Men For Once… And Didn’t Go Quietly

Before he played Henry on Once Upon A Time, Jared Gilmore was the third actor to play Robert ‘Bobby’ Draper, son of the main character Don, on Mad Men.  On this show, Gilmore starred opposite actors such as Jon Hamm and Kiernan Shipka, having nice things to say about almost all his co-stars.

In 2011, when Gilmore left for the role of Henry on Once, he publicly shaded his now-former on-screen mother January Jones. To his then-unknown future replacement, Gilmore said, “Be careful around January. She’s not as approachable as the others. She’s really serious about what she does. Everyone else is so nice.”

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