Jennifer Morrison's 'Once Upon a Time' Pilot Intuition: A Guaranteed Hit!
Jennifer Morrison reflects on her transformative seven-season journey as Emma Swan in Once Upon a Time, likening the experience to an "Enchanted Forest." She details how the show's unique fairy-tale concept and the personal challenges she faced ultimately led her to a profound self-awakening and a flourishing career in directing.
The ABC series Once Upon a Time was a show defined by transformation, both for its on-screen narrative and for the actors who brought its iconic characters to life. Jennifer Morrison, who starred as Emma Swan, recently reflected on her experience with Perri Nemiroff for Collider Ladies Night, describing her time on the long-running show as a personal "Disney-adjacent hero's journey."
Morrison recounted her profound connection to the pilot episode, praising its "slam-dunk idea" that ingeniously blended familiar fairy-tale characters with a new, interconnected narrative. She highlighted how showrunners Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz skillfully infused the story with rich psychology and metaphor, creating a universally exciting concept that immediately drew her in.
Once Upon a Time transported viewers to Storybrooke, Maine, a town where beloved fairy-tale figures like Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), Prince Charming (Josh Dallas), the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla), and Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) lived ordinary lives, their happy endings stolen by a curse. It fell to Emma Swan, the skeptical bounty hunter from Boston, to become their savior and ultimately believe in the magic she initially dismissed.
Morrison also shared a personal connection to the show's themes, revealing her upbringing in a Disney-loving family. She felt that her entire life had inadvertently prepared her to embody Emma Swan, the "new person in that mythology" who served as an audience surrogate navigating a fantastical world. Her parents' dedication to creating magic in her childhood resonated deeply with the show's premise.
Spanning seven seasons, Once Upon a Time offered a rare opportunity for actors to evolve significantly over an extended period. This transformative environment extended beyond individual growth; co-stars Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas, who played Emma's parents, married and started a family in real life during the show's run.
Morrison candidly likened her experience on the show to an "Enchanted Forest," drawing a parallel to Olaf's musings in Frozen 2 about such places being agents of change. She admitted that while she entered the project with immense excitement, she faced unexpected personal challenges, including prolonged separation from family, grueling work hours, and the intense demands of network television production. Navigating this period largely alone, without a partner or spouse, significantly tested her resilience.
These challenges, however, proved to be a profound awakening. Morrison realized that spending 14 to 16 hours a day embodying a character meant she had little time to truly know herself. This self-reflection forced her to prioritize self-care and rediscover her own identity. It reignited her earlier passion for directing theater, a career path she had set aside, fueling a craving to "tell the whole story" from a new perspective.
This pivotal realization propelled her into directing much sooner than she might have otherwise. Although she didn't direct any Once Upon a Time episodes, Morrison has since built an impressive directing portfolio, including acclaimed series like Euphoria, Tracker, and Yellowjackets, alongside her short film Warning Labels and feature Sun Dogs. Once Upon a Time is currently available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+.