Everyone knows the boy who wouldn't grow up. Usually, he’s a charming scamp in green tights who fights pirates and crows at the moon. But if you watched ABC's hit series Once Upon a Time, you know that version of the character went right out the window. Fans often find themselves asking who plays Peter Pan in Once Upon a Time because the performance was so jarringly different from the Disney classic.
It was Robbie Kay.
He didn't just play a part. He redefined a literary icon into something genuinely nightmarish. When he first appeared in Season 3, viewers weren't ready for a teenaged villain who was more manipulative than Rumplestiltskin and more cold-blooded than the Evil Queen.
The Actor Behind the Shadow: Robbie Kay
Robbie Kay was only about 17 or 18 when he landed the role of the boy from Neverland. Before he was cast, he had some solid credits to his name, like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Fugitive Pieces. But Once Upon a Time was the big one. It changed his career.
He has this look. High cheekbones, thick eyebrows, and eyes that seem to see right through the other characters. Honestly, the casting directors hit the jackpot. They needed someone who looked youthful enough to be "the boy who never grew up" but had the gravitas to play a man who had lived for centuries. Kay delivered that in spades.
👉 See also: Is Heroes and Villains Legit? What You Need to Know Before Buying
British actors often bring a certain theatricality to these roles. Kay is no exception. He used his voice—this soft, almost melodic tone—to make Pan’s threats sound like lullabies. It was creepy. It worked.
Why this version of Pan was different
In the show’s lore, Peter Pan isn't a hero. He’s the original "Lost Boy," but his backstory is way darker than anything J.M. Barrie originally wrote. He’s actually Malcolm, Rumplestiltskin’s father. He traded his own son for eternal youth. That’s heavy stuff for a Sunday night family drama.
Because of that twist, Robbie Kay had to play a character who was technically a great-grandfather. Think about that for a second. You have a teenager playing the father of Robert Carlyle (who plays Rumple). The dynamic was fascinating. Watching a kid talk down to one of the most powerful sorcerers in the Enchanted Forest was a highlight of the series.
The Impact of the Neverland Arc
Season 3 is widely considered by the fandom to be the peak of the show. A big reason for that was the tension. Our heroes—Emma, Regina, Snow, and Charming—were stuck in Neverland, and they were constantly being outsmarted by a kid.
✨ Don't miss: Jack Blocker American Idol Journey: What Most People Get Wrong
Pan wasn't just strong. He was a master of psychological warfare. He knew everyone’s secrets. He used Henry’s heart—the "Heart of the Truest Believer"—to try and save his own life and maintain his immortality. It wasn't about playfulness. It was about survival at any cost.
Kay’s performance was so well-received that he actually came back later in the series. Even though his main arc ended in the winter finale of Season 3, the writers found ways to bring him back for the 100th episode and during the Underworld plotline in Season 5. Fans just couldn't get enough of him.
A few things you might not know about the casting
- The Audition: Robbie Kay didn't actually know he was auditioning for Peter Pan at first. The show was known for using "dummy sides" (fake scripts) to keep secrets under wraps.
- The Age Gap: Despite playing an ancient being, Kay was one of the youngest "big bads" the show ever had.
- The Accent: He kept his native British accent, which added to that classic, timeless feel of the character.
Life After Neverland
After his time on the show, Robbie Kay didn't just disappear. He went on to star in Heroes Reborn as Tommy Clark. He’s done a bunch of other projects since, but for a specific generation of TV watchers, he will always be the kid who made us terrified of shadows.
It's funny how some actors get "typecast," but Kay handled it well. He moved from playing a demonic version of a childhood hero to playing more grounded, relatable characters. Still, if you go to a fan convention today, the questions are almost always about Neverland. People want to know what it was like to work with Robert Carlyle and Lana Parrilla. They want to know if he’s actually as mean as he looked on screen (spoiler: he’s famously very nice).
🔗 Read more: Why American Beauty by the Grateful Dead is Still the Gold Standard of Americana
Why the Performance Still Holds Up
If you rewatch those episodes now, the CGI might look a little dated—Neverland was a lot of green screen—but the acting stays sharp. Kay understood the assignment. He knew he wasn't playing a misunderstood kid. He was playing a villain who chose to be evil.
There’s a specific scene where he talks to Emma Swan about being an orphan. He tries to manipulate her by using her own past against her. It’s cold. It’s calculated. That’s the nuance he brought. Most teen actors might have played it too angry or too "edgy," but Kay played it with a smirk.
Key takeaway on the casting
When you look at who plays Peter Pan in Once Upon a Time, you realize the show succeeded because it didn't go for a household name. They went for someone who could embody the duality of the character. You needed to see the "boy" and the "monster" at the same time. Robbie Kay made you believe that a teenager could be the most dangerous person in a room full of magic users.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Rewatchers
If you’re diving back into the series or watching for the first time, keep an eye on these specific details to appreciate the performance:
- Watch the eyes. Kay rarely blinks when he’s delivering threats. It’s a subtle trick that makes the character feel less human.
- Listen to the cadence. Notice how his voice changes when he's talking to "his son" Rumplestiltskin versus when he's talking to Henry.
- Check out Season 5. If you liked his initial run, don't skip the Underworld arc. His brief return provides a great bit of closure for the character's relationship with his family.
- Follow the career path. If you enjoyed his acting style, check out his work in Fugitive Pieces. It shows a completely different, much more vulnerable side of his range.
The legacy of Once Upon a Time is its ability to flip the script on stories we think we know. By casting Robbie Kay, they turned a story about childhood wonder into a masterclass in villainy. Whether you loved to hate him or just flat-out loved him, there’s no denying he was the highlight of the show’s golden era.
To see more of Robbie's range, you should look for his guest appearances in various procedural dramas where he often plays characters that lean into that same "intensity" he perfected in the jungles of Neverland. Turning off the TV after a Season 3 binge usually leaves you wanting more, and luckily, the actor's filmography is diverse enough to satisfy that itch.