Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz have certainly learned from their time on LOST in that they know the audience wants answers, and they want them fast. Within the pilot of their new ABC fairytale drama Once Upon A Time, there are a lot of questions that immediately pop up, and both creators assure they are all things that will come to light very early on, even while focusing energy much more intently on the characters along the way.
"For us this show isn't about breaking the curse. That is obviously a part of it, [but] the show is really about these characters and exploring what they're going through," Horowitz admitted.
"It's oddly a little more self-contained in that way," Kitsis added, comparing his new program to his most recent one.
There are two separate worlds to Once Upon A Time: the world of Storybrooke in present day, a town where time as stood still for its inhabitants thanks to an age-old curse (Horowitz and Kitsis promise they will answer questions of whether or not characters can age within Storybrooke, and if they are even aware that time does not exist there, right off the bat after the pilot). The other world is the time from way back when, in the world in which that curse was first born. Instead of blending the two worlds or leaving the old-fashioned one behind after the pilot, Once Upon A Time will flit back and forth from week to week to get glimpses at its characters lives and what informs them in their new world. Doing so will also allow audiences to get glimpses at similarities between characters, proving the point that people are who they are, regardless of time or place or situation.
"Writing for both worlds...you're kind of exercising different muscles with each," Horowitz pointed out.
And such can be said for the actors themselves. For example, Lana Parrilla who plays the Evil Queen and Regina, the mayor of Storybrooke, sees a great difference right off the bat.
"The Queen is very powerful and puts everything out there, but Regina masks everything and is more complex," she offered. "As Regina I come from a place of love with Henry. She wants so desperately for him to love her, and he hates her. And we'll get into why down the road."
Each character in Storybrooke has a great void in their lives, and the curse, therefore, is not about the town being cosmetically dilapidated or physically falling apart. Instead the curse is what each character lacks. Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) doesn't know that she is really Snow White, and she doesn't even remember having a child, let alone the fact that her "Prince Charming" (Josh Dallas) is lying comatose in the hospital. Any maternal instincts she may have are purely subconscious, and perhaps even recognizing something pure in Emma (Jennifer Morrison) that comes from a familiar place.
Mary Margaret completely disarms Emma because she is a character who, according to Morrison, "had such a tough life in terms of being abandoned as a child and being raised in the foster system and all of these things that we'll discover over time, she has a really tough exterior." This means it will take a long time for her to come around and believe the things young Henry (Jared Gilmore) is telling her about Storybrooke. But eventually she'll have to come around, right?
"I think that it's been fun actually to have that perspective on things because I feel like someone has to comment on how ridculous it all seems. It's been fun to have that genuine response," Morrison shared.
By episode two we'll learn just how much Regina remembers from the curse, but it will take longer for Emma to get on-board, let alone other characters to "snap out of it."
"Mary Margaret is disarming [to Emma] because she's actually kind and has no ulterior motives," Morrison added, noting that her character usually expects everyone to want something from her, which is also why she is so unnerved by Henry's sweet and innocent presence.
"We're going to go as far as we can," Kitsis said of pushing his characters but also "mish-mashing" ones from different fairytales.
"Disney has actually been very supportive of allowing us to interpret characters. We had a meeting with brand management, but so far there isn't really anything they [said no to.] I think this is the first time anyone has ever shown Snow White with a sword...and she was pregnant, and they were cool with that."
Kitsis, however, may not be cool with incorporating some of the more modern Disney characters, like Princess Jasmine from Aladdin. Horowitz called him out for not liking her, and all he would say about that was "she didn't return my phone calls." Hmm, playing coy looks good on him.
The guys are staying true to their mysterious roots, though, and managing to slip in quite a few LOST references. In the pilot alone there were four visual call-outs, including a Geronimo Jack bumper sticker and the clock reading "1:08." Easter eggs are sure to pop up in future episodes, too, but more importantly a rich and deeply-woven character story will be prevalent in Once Upon A Time, ensuring that every episode is a must-see.
Once Upon A Time premieres on October 23rd at 8pm. Want a more in-depth preview? Stay tuned right here for our advance review of the pilot episode!
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