A combination of old guard and new fromOnce Upon a Times seven-season run sits before him.
West), and Ella (Dania Ramirez).
Goodwins Snow White signals the Black Knights to bring in a stack of personalized storybooks but so does Charming.
‘Once Upon a Time’.Jack Rowand/ABC
Theyre both trying to have their characters take the lead.
Mader cuts in with a laugh: Thats called marriage.
Leaving a show was a really tough decision, but one that we spent years making.
We really needed to start Ollie in school we had gotten him into a school in Los Angeles.
But anyways, we had decided that that was what was best for our family.
Though a difficult decision, it was one that we were very confident about.
It doesnt help that the scenes, of which we are part, are classicOnce Upon a Timescenes.
The word hope is batted around an awful lot, so it is very nostalgic feeling.
Im definitely mourning the loss.
JOSH DALLAS:It feels surreal to be back, but also wonderful.
And hopefully, the show inspired.
Its a show about hope and its a show about how its your actions that define who you are.
Youre not either all good or all bad.
Its about your choices that make your character.
Saying goodbye to it is bittersweet, but Im so grateful.
I mean, they began years before we joined the fray in 2011.
It was instrumental then in my choosing to take part.
I was coming off of a female-heavy show [Big Love].
[Showrunners Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis] both come from very strong relationships with very strong women.
Those have been definitely celebrated on screen in their writing.
Theres always sort of this safety net of, We are fairy-tale characters, and therefore we are ageless.
Colins character, Hook, is supposed to be I dont remember how old hundreds of years?
Rumple is hundreds and hundreds of years.
Thats whats made us feel old.
It changed my life as well as other peoples lives, our fans lives.
Its meant everything to me.
It did change my life and helped create my family, my own family at home.
Like I said, Im just forever grateful to be part of it.
These characters were all extraordinary, but we can see ourselves in them.
I think that the part of us that wants to escape, can.
We can disappear into their stories.
But at the same time, these characters are really flawed and messy.
I think that their feelings are so universal.
Yeah, its that relatability.
I love extraordinary stories that are full of really relatable characters.
Who knew that fairy-tale characters could be relatable in any way?
I think thats the legacy.
GOODWIN:Oh my gosh.
Well, I like to think that it was the first of its kind.
At the time that we made the pilot, no one was doing anything like this.
And I feel like it even pre-empted the swashbuckling princesses on the big screen.
It was so new.
And I hope that its remembered as being groundbreaking.
And I hope that there is enough love for the show that we do reunion specials along the way.
Ive been so humbled and grateful that there have been so many.
Ive heard that from several different people.
Those are always memorable.
The fact is that my entire real life has blossomed because of this show.
We need to be needed.
But to have a show thats written on or of the public, I find to be really special.
Do you have any regrets about leaving the show when you did?DALLAS:No.
None at all, none at all.
Its always worked out.
Its worked out the way that I hoped it would.
Im forever grateful for our time on it, and when we left, it was time.
It was time for us to go.
I find it to be so powerful that I cried.
Thats part of why I cried all through yesterday.
They come to help out and rally the troops.
GOODWIN:I will say that I dont really know what theyve been up to.
I mean, theyve been in retirement.
I think there have been a lot of lazy Sundays.
What we do see is longer Snow hair.
And we feel that weve finally figured out what that would look like.
It was beyond satisfying.
It was emotional, it was thrilling.
I cant imagine the fans wont gobble it up.
DALLAS:It was really emotional, actually.
The story began with Snow and the Evil Queen and Charming.
Were ending it with Snow, the Evil Queen, and Charming.
GOODWIN:I love that the ending is open-ended.
I feel that even our coming back just exemplifies the fact that nothing is ever over.
I fantasize about a special miniseries we could do streaming, I dont know.
I think the revisitation is appropriate.
This is the epitome of aOnce Upon a Timeepisode, this is an old-school, nostalgicOnce Upon a Timeepisode.
I feel likeOnce Upon a Timecan shine a little bit of lightness in the dark.
GOODWIN:I just know it to be true.
I am dead-certain that Snow White is right, that hope is the magical ingredient in the potion.
That is, everyone can find love, everyone can find happiness.
What are you doing to take away from this experience?DALLAS:Total gratitude.
But yeah, I would say that it definitely hasnt burned me out, its definitely fed the addiction.
Yeah, just keep introducing more.
I mean, I would love to have Snow White come back and fight alongside her great-great-granddaughter.
DALLAS:I hope theres more adventures.
I hope theres just more adventures and these characters still keep trying to figure life out.
I think that never ends for anybody, not just these characters, just anybody.
Youre always trying to figure it out.
I hope they still are pushing forward and theyre still growing and theyre still going on adventures.
I did a play after we wrapped last year, afterOnce Upon a Timewrapped.
So yes, ABC found for me yet again a magical life on another ABC show.
Once Upon a Times series finale will air over two weeks, kicking off this Friday at 8 p.m.
ET and concluding Friday, May 18, at 8 p.m.
