photo courtesy of Hypable
Tv series Once Upon a Time has not only resurrected our love for classic and modern childhood fairy-tales, it has single-handedly changed our perspective on what it means to be a hero and a villain. Episode by episode we revisit those dark and haunted stories like Little Red Riding Hood, Peter and the Wolf, Hansel and Gretel with a twist of modern reality and a spoonful of compassion for the series well cast villains, The Evil Queen and Rumplestiltskin. Our Heroes and Heroines share equal gender-powered roles in saving the day with Mulan leading the way of the modern tales and Snow White kicking some serious ass in the forrest while Belle from Beauty and the Beast gives new meaning to the concept of courageous book worm. And of course, true love is aways at the centre of all these tales so I’d personally like to introduce you to the heroines that make this show so freakin cool.
LANA PARILLA as THE EVIL QUEEN
photo by Troy Jensen
Lana plays onion layered Evil Queen Regina who as the seasons unfold, starts to shed her nasty skin. We watch her slowly change from the inside out and only to replace it with love for those around her. Unfortunately she must now pay the price of her evil-doings but those lovely compassionate eyes and layered portrayal of Regina only makes us love and root for her even more.
GINNIFER GOODWIN as SNOW WHITE
With Goodwin’s Shakespeare background, the role of Snow White almost fits like a glove made in acting heaven. Ginnifer brings depth and compassion to the screen as well as a spunky-modern sense of style as her modern day equivalent, Mary-Margaret. Snow White proves to be a warrior at heart who is willing to fight for true love time and time again but who, in modern-day times, really just wants to settle down and enjoy her family. As awkward as it might seem for thirty-four year old looking Goodwin to have a 28 year-old daughter on the show (even though time froze for a whole 28 years), she manages to portray nurture very well and has a fierce sense of protection for her daughter Emma which makes the relationship believable.
JENNIFER MORRISSON as EMMA SWAN
photo courtesy of OnceUponaTimeABC
Emma Swan is a pretty good name for a fairytale character, don’t you think? You might recognise Jennifer Morrison from House MD but it’s the first time she has landed a starring role in a hit TV series which, really does make a difference. In her current role she is truly being given such a great opportunity to shine and show off her comedic, sarcastic and dramatic side while engaging in some pretty cool fighting scenes. As Emma, the long lost daughter of Snow White and Prince charming, she plays modern day saviour who has to come to terms with her own past, motherhood, and save the town from the curse the Evil Queen has inflicted upon its people.
EMILIE DE RAVIN as BELLE
photo by Mark Anderson
Belle is truly the hidden gem of the characters of this show. Plucked from the cast of Lost, she was given the role of Belle to Rumplestiltskin’s “beast”. The writers have gradually given her more and more depth propelling her from love-interest to adventurer and guide to Rumplestiltskin’s dark yet endearing character.
MEGHAN ORY as RED
One has to give props to the writers and creators of the show for really taking a character like Ory’s Red and giving it new light. So let’s just say little Red Riding Hood is not so little anymore and might not exactly be who you believe her to be. Meghan’s character struggles with independence, self-discovery and brings not only her spunk but brilliant detective instincts to the town of Storybrooke.
JAMIE CHUNG as MULAN
photo property of Nylon
Turns out Sucker Punch is not the only film that churns out cool female characters. Mulan has yet to reveal with whom her true heart’s lies in Once Upon a Time, but as far as a warrior and a female, she certainly kicks ass. Chung’s performance aligns well with the rest of her female cast mates in that she shows that beauty, brains and brawn can all co-exist. I do hope the writers will soon give her the opportunity to explore her character romantically and thus give her performance another level to play with.
