When Once Upon a Time (OUAT) decided to bring Pixar’s first princess into the fold during Season 5, the stakes were weirdly high. You had this massive fanbase that adored the 2012 animated film Brave, and they weren't going to accept just any actor in a cheap wig. They needed someone who could actually pull off that fierce, messy-haired, "I don't need a prince" energy without it feeling like a Disney Store mascot come to life.
So, who played Merida in Once Upon a Time? That would be Amy Manson.
She didn't just show up and say the lines. Honestly, she kind of became the definitive live-action version of the character, largely because she’s actually Scottish. That sounds like a small detail, but in a show where accents sometimes wandered all over the map, having a native Scot from Aberdeenshire made a massive difference in the authenticity of the performance.
The Search for the Real Brave Princess
Finding the right person for Merida was a bit of a frantic process for the showrunners, Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis. They weren't looking for a caricature. They needed an actor who could handle the physical demands of archery and horseback riding while holding her own against series veterans like Lana Parrilla and Jennifer Morrison.
Amy Manson was already a seasoned pro by the time she landed the role in 2015. You might have seen her before in Being Human as Daisy or in the historical drama The White Princess. But Once Upon a Time was a different beast. It was a global juggernaut.
When she was cast, the internet did its usual thing—obsessing over the hair. Merida’s hair is basically its own character. Manson later talked about how the wig was a heavy, tangled nightmare that took ages to get right. But once the costume was on, she looked like she had stepped straight out of DunBroch. It wasn't just about the look, though. Manson brought a certain rasp to the voice and a jaggedness to the movements that made her feel dangerous.
Why Amy Manson Was the Perfect Choice
Most people think acting in a fantasy show is just wearing capes and looking serious. It's not. To make a character like Merida work, you have to balance the "cartoon" expectations with real human emotion. In the Season 5 premiere, "The Dark Swan," we see Merida meeting Emma Swan in the Enchanted Forest.
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Emma is struggling with the darkness; Merida is just trying to save her brothers.
Manson played Merida with a frantic, desperate edge. She wasn't a polished princess. She was a girl whose kingdom was falling apart. That’s why fans latched onto her. She felt like she had a life outside of the main Storybrooke plot.
She actually spent time training with a bow and arrow to make sure her form looked legitimate. You can tell. There’s a scene where she’s teaching Belle (played by Emilie de Ravin) how to be brave, and the way Manson handles the equipment isn't clumsy. It’s practiced. It’s the kind of detail that separates a "guest star of the week" from a memorable addition to the lore.
The Merida Storyline Most Fans Forget
While the main draw of Season 5 was the Dark Swan arc and the trip to Camelot, Merida had her own mini-epic going on. We got to see her backstory involving her father, King Fergus, and the mysterious Triplets.
Here is the thing: Once Upon a Time loved to twist fairy tales. With Merida, they stayed relatively close to the source material but added a layer of political intrigue. We saw her dealing with the clans—Macintosh, MacGuffin, and Dingwall—who didn't want a queen to rule them.
Manson’s chemistry with Mulan (Jamie Chung) and Ruby (Meghan Ory) was a highlight for a lot of viewers. It felt like a "Warrior Women" spinoff was brewing right there on screen. Honestly, it's a shame we didn't get more of that trio. They brought a grounded, gritty energy to a show that was increasingly becoming about CGI underworlds and magical portals.
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The Challenge of the Accent
If you’ve ever listened to a non-Scot try to do a Highland accent, you know how painful it can be. It usually sounds like a mix of Irish and pirate. Amy Manson’s natural dialect meant the writers could actually give her "Scots-isms" without it sounding fake.
She used the word "ken" (to know) and had that specific rolling 'R' that gave the dialogue some texture. It anchored the character in a real culture, even if she was fighting a girl who could turn into a bear or a woman who threw purple fireballs.
Life After the Bow: What Amy Manson Is Doing Now
After her stint in Storybrooke ended, Manson didn't just disappear. She’s been incredibly active in the UK and US acting scenes.
She took a lead role in the sci-fi series The Nevers as Maladie, a character that is worlds away from Merida. Maladie is chaotic, broken, and terrifyingly brilliant. It showed Manson’s range—going from a Disney-inspired hero to a Victorian-era "Touched" villain. She also appeared in the film Spencer alongside Kristen Stewart, proving she can hang in high-prestige dramas just as easily as she can in genre television.
She’s also a big advocate for fitness and mental health, often sharing her training regimes on social media. It’s funny because she still carries that Merida energy—strong, independent, and a bit of a rebel.
The Legacy of Merida in the OUAT Multiverse
Looking back, Merida's inclusion in Once Upon a Time was a turning point for the show. It was one of the first times they integrated a very modern Disney/Pixar property into the classic fairy tale mix. Before her, it was all Snow White and Cinderella. After her, the floodgates opened for Frozen characters and more.
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Amy Manson’s portrayal remains the gold standard for live-action Pixar characters. She didn't treat it like a kids' show. She treated it like a Shakespearean tragedy about a girl trying to prove her worth in a man’s world.
If you’re revisiting the series on Disney+, pay close attention to the episode "The Bear and the Bow." It’s Manson’s best work in the series. She manages to be heartbreaking when talking about her father and absolutely terrifying when she’s defending her kingdom.
How to Follow Amy Manson’s Career
If you want to see more of the woman who brought the ginger archer to life, you have a few options:
- The Nevers (HBO/Tubi): This is where you see her true acting chops. Her performance as Maladie is a masterclass in controlled insanity.
- Being Human (UK Version): A cult classic. She plays a vampire, and it’s a great look at her early career.
- Social Media: She’s quite active on Instagram, often posting about her Scottish roots and behind-the-scenes looks at her various projects.
Final Insights on the Brave Casting
The question of who played Merida in Once Upon a Time usually leads people down a rabbit hole of Disney trivia, but the real takeaway is the importance of authentic casting. By choosing a Scottish actress with a background in gritty drama, the producers saved the character from being a one-dimensional cameo.
Amy Manson took a bow and a wig and turned them into a symbol of resilience. Whether she was threatening Mr. Gold or befriending Belle, she was always the most capable person in the room.
Next Steps for Fans:
Go back and watch Season 5, Episode 6. It’s the one where Merida has to face the man who killed her father. It’s one of the few times the show feels truly cinematic, and it's almost entirely thanks to Manson’s performance. You can also track her upcoming projects on IMDb to see where her career is heading next—she’s currently involved in several independent UK films that look promising for anyone who misses her fiery screen presence.