FAIRY- TALE BEGINNING FOR ACTRESS
Jennifer Morrison embraces her part in filmed- in- Vancouver drama as series nears renewal
Jennifer Morrison was caught between two worlds — literally — on this brisk mid- winter’s evening. She was leaving an ABC- sponsored party in Pasadena, Calif., dressed in a resplendent red ballroom dress, only to change into civilian duds and jump onto a threehour flight up the coast to Vancouver and back to work on the set of Once Upon a Time.
Once Upon a Time — an enchanting fantasy drama in which Morrison plays hard- luck, hardscrabble single mother Emma Swan — is the 2011- 12 TV season’s most- watched and, judging from the groundswell of popular opinion on Twitter and in online chat forums, one of the most beloved, obsessively followed and fondly discussed new drama series since Lost in 2004.
Once Upon a Time, the creation of Lost co- writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and written off as recently as October as a fanciful misfire, now shows real signs of living happily ever after. Originally slated for 13 episodes, if that, parent network ABC recently bumped the season order to a full 22, with a second- season renewal now just a formality.
Once Upon a Time is airing on the same night and time as ABC’S The Wonderful World of Disney, which aired for more than 20 seasons in all, but had not been seen since Christmas Eve 2008. Once Upon a Time appeals to a similar audience: children of all ages, men, women and the young at heart. For Morrison, shoe- horning her TV work into a film career that has included J. J. Abrams’ Star Trek, Surviving Christmas, Warrior, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Once Upon a Time has taken on a life of its own. Morrison was most familiar to TV viewers as Dr. Allison Cameron in early seasons of House, but her role in Once Upon a Time may be about to eclipse that.
Once Upon a Time’s story is set in the picture- postcard town of Storybrooke, Maine, where familiar fairy tale characters are unknowingly trapped in the present day, the result of a vengeful and possibly irreversible curse. The town’s inhabitants have no memory of their true identities. Morrison’s character, Emma Swan, is the only character who lives entirely in the present day, but doesn’t know she’s the grown daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, and an integral part of the story.
For now, though, Emma Swan is the resident skeptic, and it’s a role she’s only too happy to take on.
“It’s actually fun to have that perspective on things, because I feel like someone has to comment on how ridiculous it all seems,” Morrison said. “It’s been fun to have a genuine response to what’s going on. If I were faced with this, just as me, I would think it was ridiculous. So it’s fun having the freedom to just react as Emma.”
Morrison has no idea when the illusion will be shattered — that’s up to Kitsis and Horowitz, she says — but for now, she’s content to play a heroine with a hard, brittle exterior.
“From my perspective, she’s had such a tough life, being abandoned as a child and raised in foster care and experiencing a lot of horrible things that we’ll come to find out over time, she has a real hardness on the outside. I think that, for her to open herself to the idea of something being out there and really embracing it is going to take some time.”
Playing the unknowing daughter of someone her own age — Ginnifer Goodwin’s dual character of Snow White and present- day elementary school teacher Mary Margaret — has added a whole extra shade of meaning to her performance.
It’s ironic, too, and completely understandable that Morrison and Goodwin have become fast friends on the set.
“Mary Margaret is disarming for her, from Emma’s perspective, because she’s kind and seems to truly have no ulterior motives,” Morrison explained. “Throughout Emma’s whole life, she’s encountered people who are only nice if they want something from her.
“Interestingly, it’s sort of the same way I feel about my own parents. When you go home, it’s like you’re suddenly 14 again. No matter how old you are, you’re like, ‘ Oh, God, I’m right back to feeling like I’m borrowing the keys to the car, or something. Emma gets that feeling whenever she’s around Mary Margaret, a feeling she doesn’t quite understand.”
Morrison has adopted Vancouver as a second home. The hours on set are long, though, and she hasn’t experienced as much of the city as she’d like.
“It’s a lovely city, for sure,” Morrison said. “I only wish I had time to see more, because there are a lot of things to do. It’s been a lovely, lovely time, though, because people have been so embracing of all of us being there, and are supportive of the show. That means a lot, because it’s not my home, really. There’s been an adjustment period, of course, but people have gone out of their way to make it seem like we belong, and that’s meant so much to me.”
Morrison worked with a tight crew in Los Angeles while on House. There are no bad crews, she says, but the Vancouver crew has been special. Work days can run to 14 hours or more, and the five- day work week often spills over into Saturday. A lot can happen on a film set, but the Vancouver crew has everyone’s backs, Morrison says, whether it’s a department head in charge of lighting equipment or the frequently unsung production assistants.
“It’s an extraordinary crew, just extraordinary,” Morrison said. “Ginny Goodwin and I share a coffee truck each week for the crew, because we’ve been so blown away by just how hard they work and how talented they all are. They’re adults, real professionals. They’re married with kids, really family- oriented. They’re fans of the show, which we feel honoured by. I can’t believe how many hours a week they have to spend living with us, and then they still watch the show. That means a lot to us. It’s a very tight family.”
House played a major role in Morrison’s life for six years. Now that House’s end has been officially announced — the series finale is May 21 — many of those connected with the series, past and present, are looking back and reflecting on its past.
“It was a fabulous show, with incredible writing,” she said. “I was lucky to get to play Dr. Cameron for that long. I mean, my goodness, it was just fabulous, fabulous stuff. Anyone who gets the opportunity, as an actor, to play a character who’s written by great writers is in an awesome place. It’s just awesome.” Morrison looked down and smiled. She’s been in an awesome place twice now. Twice lucky.