Honestly, if you spent any time on ABC back in 2011, you probably remember that purple smoke. It was everywhere. Once Upon a Time didn't just give us fairy tales; it gave us a massive ensemble of women who had to play two versions of themselves. That’s a tall order for any actress on Once Upon a Time, especially when you’re wearing a corset one day and a pantsuit the next. Fans still argue about who carried the show. Was it the "Chosen One"? Or was it the woman ripping hearts out of chests?
The reality of the casting was a bit of a gamble. Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, the creators, came straight off the heels of LOST. They knew how to do ensembles, but fairy tales are dangerous territory. They can get cheesy fast. To make it work, they needed women who could ground the high-fantasy nonsense in something that felt like a real human gut-punch.
Lana Parrilla and the Heavy Lifting of the Evil Queen
When people search for their favorite actress on Once Upon a Time, Lana Parrilla is usually the name that crashes the servers. It makes sense. Regina Mills was the engine of the show. She started as the primary antagonist, a woman so bitter she'd curse an entire realm just to win an argument, but she ended the series as its most beloved hero.
Parrilla didn't just play "evil." She played grief. If you watch those early Season 1 episodes again, notice her eyes. While the script has her doing campy villain things, her performance is deeply rooted in the loss of Daniel, the stable boy. That’s the secret sauce. She played the Evil Queen like a Shakespearean tragedy rather than a Saturday morning cartoon. It’s why the "Redemption Arc" worked, even when the writing got a little shaky in the later seasons (looking at you, Season 6).
The technical demand on her was wild. She had to navigate the "Split Queen" storyline where she literally played two versions of herself on screen simultaneously. This involved motion control cameras and talking to tennis balls on sticks. Most actors hate that. Parrilla thrived in it. She gave the Evil Queen a different vocal register—lower, more melodic—compared to Regina’s sharper, modern-day Storybrooke tone.
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Jennifer Morrison: The Burden of Being the Savior
Then you have Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan. She had the hardest job. Think about it. Everyone else gets to wear gowns and have magic powers or cool backstories involving dragons. Emma Swan had to be the "normal" one. She was the audience surrogate, the skeptic who spent the entire first season essentially telling the viewers, "This is all crazy."
Being the "straight man" in a comedy or a fantasy drama is a thankless task. Morrison brought a specific, jagged vulnerability to Emma. She played her as a foster kid who had been burned too many times. That leather jacket wasn't just a costume; it was armor.
When you look at the evolution of an actress on Once Upon a Time, Morrison’s departure after Season 6 was a massive turning point. The show tried to reboot with Season 7, but the DNA was gone. Emma was the heartbeat because she represented the "Land Without Magic." Without her skepticism, the show just became a bunch of people in costumes talking about "hope" every five minutes. Morrison understood that for the magic to feel special, the person seeing it had to be terrified of it first.
Ginnifer Goodwin and the Subversion of Snow White
Forget everything you think you know about the 1937 Disney version. Ginnifer Goodwin’s Snow White was a bandit. She had a bowl cut and a bow and arrow. She lived in the woods.
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Goodwin actually campaigned for the role because she was a massive fan of the source material. What she did brilliantly was balance the sweetness of Mary Margaret Blanchard—the shy schoolteacher—with the grit of Snow White. People often find Mary Margaret "annoying" in the middle seasons, but that’s actually a testament to Goodwin’s acting. She leaned into the flaws. She made Snow White a person who makes massive mistakes, who can be judgmental, and who struggles with her own darkness.
The Guest Stars Who Stole the Screen
We can't talk about the women of this show without mentioning the "Villains of the Week" who ended up staying way longer than planned.
- Rebecca Mader (Zelena): She was only supposed to be a guest. Then she said "Wicked always wins," and the internet exploded. Mader brought a chaotic, manic energy that balanced Parrilla’s more controlled performance.
- Elizabeth Mitchell (The Snow Queen/Ingrid): Coming off LOST, Mitchell brought a terrifyingly calm, maternal chill to the role. She didn't scream. She whispered. That’s way scarier.
- Victoria Smurfit (Cruella de Vil): Honestly, the best casting choice the show ever made. She played Cruella as a literal psychopath, which was a dark departure for a show that usually tried to redeem everyone.
The show worked because these women treated the material with total sincerity. They didn't wink at the camera. They didn't act like they were in a fairy tale; they acted like they were in a war.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Casting
There is a common misconception that the show was just "Disney live-action." It wasn't. Because of rights issues and the fact that ABC is owned by Disney, they had access to the names, but the characterizations were often brand new.
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Take Emilie de Ravin as Belle. She wasn't just a bookworm; she was a woman dealing with a partner (Rumplestiltskin) who was essentially an addict. An addict to power. De Ravin had to play some of the darkest, most emotionally draining scenes in the series. The "Rumbelle" fandom is intense, but if you look at the acting, it’s a masterclass in portraying a complicated, sometimes toxic relationship in a way that feels grounded in reality, despite the literal ogres and magic potions.
Why the Performances Still Hold Up
If you go back and watch Once Upon a Time now, some of the CGI looks... rough. Green screens in 2012 weren't what they are today. But the reason the show is still a top-tier performer on streaming platforms is the chemistry.
The relationship between Emma and Regina (frequently called "SwanQueen" by fans) is the most analyzed dynamic in the history of the show. Even though it never became a canon romance, the tension Morrison and Parrilla brought to their scenes created a subtext that kept the show alive for years. They played off each other like rivals who secretly respected—and maybe needed—one another. That’s high-level character work that you don't always find in network TV.
Practical Steps for Rewatching or Discovering the Series
If you're looking to dive back into the filmography of a specific actress on Once Upon a Time, or if you're a first-time viewer trying to navigate the seven seasons, here is the most effective way to appreciate the talent:
- Watch the Pilot and then "The Stable Boy" (Season 1, Episode 18). This shows the range of the cast, specifically Lana Parrilla, moving from a cartoonish villain to a broken young girl.
- Focus on the "Shattered Sight" arc in Season 4. This is where the actresses got to play the "inverse" of their characters due to a spell. Seeing Ginnifer Goodwin play a "mean" Snow White is a highlight of the series.
- Check out the "Musical Episode" (Season 6, Episode 20). It’s polarizing, but it showcases which cast members actually have Broadway backgrounds (hint: many of them do, including Morrison and Goodwin).
- Look for the nuance in the "Missing Year" arc. During Season 3, the cast had to play characters who had memories they couldn't access. It’s a subtle acting challenge that often goes unnoticed.
The legacy of the women in this show isn't just about the costumes or the "happily ever afters." It's about the fact that they took a ridiculous premise—fairytale characters trapped in Maine—and made us cry about it. They turned archetypes into people. Whether you're a "Regina" or an "Emma," the impact of those performances is why we're still talking about them over a decade later.