“Once Upon a Time” in a land far, far away, Evil Queen Regina (Lana Parrilla) lost one of the only things she’s ever loved: her son.
In the Season 1 finale, the curse was broken and the residents of Storybrooke got their memories back, much to the delight of Regina’s adopted son Henry (Jared S. Gilmore), whose real mother Emma (Jennifer Morrison) finally learned the truth. With Season 1 under her belt, Parrilla told The Huffington Post during upfronts week in New York that she’s anxious for some insight into what’s in store for her deliciously evil character.
“I’d love to see what happens between Henry and Regina,” Parrilla said. “Ultimately for her, that has been the driving point — the threat of losing her son — and now it’s actually happened. I’d love to see how that relationship salvages.”
Ginnifer Goodwin, who plays Snow White/Mary Margaret, one of the thorns in Regina’s side, mother to Emma and grandmother to Henry, said she’s also looking forward to dealing with another relationship.
“I’m mostly looking forward to how Emma and Snow White are going to bridge their relationship, the gap that has been these 28 years that Emma has gone motherless,” Goodwin said. “I’m anxious to see what’s going to happen there.”
The season ended with magic being restored to the world, and Regina is ready to work that mojo. “I mean, if it takes magic to get Henry back then so be it.”
Parrilla might play the Evil Queen, but she isn’t like her character. If magic existed in the real world, she said she’d put that power to good use.
“I don’t know if I’d do a spell, I think I would. It sounds silly, but I think I would try and help a lot of people in the world,” Parrilla said. “It seems cliche, but honestly, that’s what I’d try to do. I would definitely use it for good and not for evil.”
Over the course of “Once Upon a Time” Season 1, viewers have met classic characters like Maleficent, Belle, Pinocchio and Cinderella, but there’s one character the actors are really hoping for in Season 2.
“Jack and the Beanstalk, I’d love to see,” Josh Dallas, who plays Prince Charming, told reporters on the red carpet of the ABC/EW upfronts party. “I’d love to see that.” Goodwin and Parrilla agreed.
“I mean, ‘Ho, ho, ho, hum.’ It’s just fun,” Parrilla said. “It’s something I always remembered as a kid. It’s one of my favorite stories. I remember seeing an animated version of it, I can’t remember how — it may have been some Disney version or some like ‘Looney Tunes’ version of it — I just remember being like ‘Oh my god, he’s climbing up that beanstalk and now he’s entering a different realm!’ It’s just a fascinating story to me.”
