Emma Swan is a deeply damaged woman, and a deeply conflicted woman. She is a survivor, and used to being a loner, and therefore a sucker for the underdog. Against her better judgement, she will compromise herself to fight for what is right and to help those in need. She is strong and aggressive, but her brokenness and her emotions are not buried far beneath her tough exterior. Her first reaction to most things is anger, but she has spent her life trying to manage her temper. She is both rash and calculated, and is forced to deal with her instincts to protect her child, a child she believes she is not capable of mothering. In the simplest form, Emma is a list of contrasting qualities: She is hard and soft; she is intense and easy going; she is strong and vulnerable; she is safe and dangerous; she is logical and impulsive. It is exciting to play a character that is so deeply conflicted and fiercely compelled to fight for what she believes is right.

I think that’s what’s so great about Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, about what they’ve written, is they’ve taken all these iconic characters that we all know, but they’ve made them somehow realer. There’s a reality to them. Prince Charming just happens to be a name. He’s still a man with the same emotions as any other man. He’s a prince, but he’s a prince of the people. He gets his hands dirty. He’s got a kingdom to run. He has a family to protect. He has an epic, epic love for Snow White. He’s like everybody else. He’s human.