25 Once Upon A Time Facts: Find Out If You Knew Any Of These

'Once Upon A Time' is an adventure drama series, consisting of seven seasons and 155 episodes.

The first season aired on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in 2011, and immediately many viewers of this series pointed out the stark similarities to another American drama series, 'Lost'. The reason behind this is that many of the actors in the cast of the series, 'Lost', also appear in 'Once Upon A Time'.

Some of the shared cast members include Jorge Garcia, Rebecca Madder, Naveen Andrews, and Lana Parrilla. However, the directors claimed that these series were completely different from each other. 'Lost' primarily revolved around the theme of redemption, while 'Once Upon A Time' highlighted more on hope.

Most of the plot of the first six seasons unfolds in the settings of the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke. The scenes were mainly shot in Vancouver, British Columbia. 'Once Upon A Time' is not just about fairy tales; it is much more than that. It also explores the deeper relations of a family.

An intriguing fact about this series is that the directors initially planned for Lady Gaga to play the role of Blue Fairy in this series. However, seeing no response from her side, the role ultimately went to Keegan Connor Tracy.

Keep reading to learn more exciting facts about the popular TV series, 'Once Upon A Time'.

Story Of 'Once Upon A Time'

'Once Upon A Time' is an adventure drama consisting of seven seasons. At first glance, it might seem like a fairy tale story. However, it the series is actually more complex. The first season of the series originally aired in 2011, and the series ended in 2018.

Various fairy tale characters, including Peter Pan, Snow White, and even Cinderella, are a part of this particular series. Two completely different worlds are portrayed in this series; the fantasy world and the real world.

A story of fairytale and magic, this series has earned a number of fans amongst its audiences. The story revolves around Emma Swan and the Evil Queen, Regina.

With the help of a dark curse, the evil queen tormented the entire town of Storybrooke, stripping everyone off their memories. This continued for 28 years, and the only hope to restore everything back to normal was the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White, Emma Swan.

With the help of her 10-year-old son, Henry, she must save the residents of the town from torment of Regina.

However, there is a twist. Emma Swan, who was the biological mother of Henry, had given him up for adoption at birth, who was later adopted by Regina. Thus, there ensues a tension of power and conflict between the two main characters, fighting for Henry and the town. 

Fairy tale characters including Snow White, Cinderella, Peter Pan, and even characters from 'Beauty and the Beast' are a part of this series.

The first season shows how the curse cast by Regina is successfully broken by Emma Swan.

The first season aired on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in 2011.

Most of the story of the first six seasons unfolds in the settings of the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke.

The music of this series was composed by famous American musician, Mark Isham.

Cast And Characters

Viewers of this series were very quick to notice the similarities it shared with the other very famous American drama series, 'Lost'. However, the writers argued that both the series were completely different, as they portrayed two opposite elements.

They claimed that unlike 'Lost', which focused on redemption, 'Once Upon A Time' highlighted the theme of hope. Many actors that were a part of 'Lost', were cast in 'Once Upon a Time', including Jorge Garcia, Rebecca Madder, Naveen Andrews, and Lana Parrilla.

An interesting fact about the casting process of this series is that the original choice to play the role of Blue Fairy in 'Once Upon A Time' was, in fact, Lady Gaga.

However, when no such confirmation to play the role was sent by the team of Lady Gaga, the casting directors approached Keegan Connor Tracy, who accepted the role.

Let's now take a look at some of the other amazing actors, who starred in 'Once Upon A Time'.

The character of Emma Swan is played American actress, Jennifer Marie Morrison, known for her recurring role in 'House'.

Ginnifer Goodwin, who is famous for her role as Margene Hoffman in the series, 'Big Love', played the character of Snow White.

The character of Regina is played by Lana Parrilla, known for her role in '24'.

Keegan Connor Tracy, known for her role in 'White Noise', played the character of the Blue Fairy.

The character of Henry Mills is played by Andrew James West, known for his role of Gareth in 'The Walking Dead'.

American actor Joshua Paul Dallas, who starred in 'Manifest', was cast in the role of Prince Charming.

Robert Carlyle, the famous Scottish actor known for 'The Full Monty' and 'Trainspotting', played the role of Rumpelstiltskin in this series.

Rapunzel was played by Gabrielle Anwar, known for her role in 'The Tudors'.

Little Known Facts

If you are a die-hard fan of this amazing series that is full of magic and fairy tales, you will want to know these intriguing facts about the series.

The on-screen couple of Snow White and her husband, are actually married in real life as well. Their real-life romance began during the shooting of 'Once Upon A Time', and they got married in 2014.

Furthermore, there was a very close call in the casting of the character of Emma Swan. As per reports, Katee Sackhoff tried as many as five times to get the role of Emma Swan, but was evidently unsuccessful.

The 17 great-grandparents of Henry in 'Once Upon A Time' include Queen Eva, King Leopold, the parents of Cora, as well as the parents of Regina's father.

Another intriguing fact about this series is that the appearance of the different Disney characters in 'Once Upon A Time' actually coincides with their releases. For example, the appearance of the Wicked Witch was scheduled in accordance with the anniversary of the 'Wizard Of Oz'.

The various wonderful characters of this series, and the actors' amazing performances, is what has helped make 'Once Upon A Time' so popular.

Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas are married in real life.

References to the guillotine, which can be found in a particular season of this series, was introduced much later, during the French Revolution.

Gil McKinney, who plays the role of Prince Eric, auditioned for the role of Hook.

Colin O'Donoghue, who can be seen in this series as Captain Hook, is a hardcore fan of Peter Pan.

The reason why Snow Queen was always barefoot in the series is that Elizabeth Mitchell, who played this particular role, was very uncomfortable wearing high heels in the woods.

The character of Henry Mills, played by Andrew James West, has as many as seven grandparents in this series.

Besides having a total of seven grandparents, Henry also had 17 great-grandparents.

Emma Swan, who ultimately became the Dark Swan in season five of 'Once Upon A Time', was never actually a villain.

Other than the memory curse, there a few other curses used in episodes of this series, such as the sleeping curse.

Captain Hook's first appearance was scheduled to be in the first season of this series.

The writers of this particular series initially wanted Emma Swan to be the sole protagonist of the story.

The actors in the series were unaware of the major twist that would unveil in the second season of this series.

Ginnifer Goodwin and Jennifer Morrison, who can be seen in the role of mother and daughter in this series, are actually very close in age.

FAQs

When did 'Once Upon a Time' lose popularity?

Most viewers claim that the storyline of 'Once Upon A Time' went downhill after season four.

Why was Emma Swan written out of 'Once Upon a Time'?

In an interview, when asked why she no longer wished to be a part of 'Once Upon A Time', Jennifer Morrison revealed that it was now the time to spend some quality time with her friends and family and focus more on her personal life.

How are Regina and Henry related?

After Henry was put up for adoption by his biological mother, Regina raised Henry as her own son.

Why is Henry old in 'Once Upon a Time'?

It was revealed much later in the series that a curse was cast on Henry by Eloise, because of which a still younger version of him exists in Storybrooke.

How old is Henry from 'Once Upon A Time'?

The character of Henry Mills is 29 years old in the series 'Once Upon A Time'.

Who plays Peter Pan in 'Once Upon A Time'?

The character of Peter Pan in 'Once Upon A Time' is played by the talented British actor Robert Andrew Kay. He is known for his incredible performance in 'Fugitive Pieces' and 'Pinocchio'.

Where is 'Once Upon A Time' filmed?

Much of the shooting of this series is done in the Vancouver area of British Columbia. Certain scenes of 'Once Upon A Time' were also shot in various regions of Seattle.

Who wrote and directed 'Once Upon A Time'?

The series was created by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, who also wrote a number of episodes, while there were many writers and directors throughout the series. Ralph Hemecker and Ron Underwood each directed a number of episodes of the show.