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Lana Parrilla plays the part so well, and I think she gets the psychology of Regina spot on, as well. I think she is being more candid in her interviews now that we’ve all seen all of S1. It makes total sense for Lana to say that Regina didn’t fully appreciate what she had with Henry until it was too late, and it was her fault moreover for trying to destroy Emma, and yet Henry took the fall.
Here is another snippet from an interview that Lana did, which I think delves even more into her understanding of Regina in S2:
The Evil Queen has a lot of conflict going forward, I’m guessing, after the end of last season, especially the loss of Henry. But also her relationship with Rumple, of course. And the fact that Belle is now out of the prison the Queen constructed. How are some of those conflicts going to unfold on an emotional level for your character?
On an emotional level, which is always where I love to speak from anyway, so that's perfect…
Thank you.
My character, she's lost everything. She's lost everything. She's lost her power, and she's lost her son. She has nothing left, and that's a really, really hard reality for her. Because here's a woman who has been in control of everyone and everything apart from Rumple, Mr. Gold, for 28 years, if not more. It's quite a jarring experience for her. I would say the biggest loss is Henry. Not so much the curse. I feel like curses can fail; curses can be lifted; spells could not work, and the Evil Queen can deal with that. She can just always find another way. But losing Henry, that was something she—I don't think she was anticipating. It was happening and it was something she feared. But she literally pushed him away. She did, unbeknownst to her—her controlling nature, her obsession. Also she was very—she was a bit too stern with him. She didn't listen to him. I think that that just inch by inch started pushing him out the door, and now she's fully lost him. I think that that alone has broken her. And in this season what we'll see—we started our sixth episode right now, so a good portion of fifth for a second season, we're going to see her trying to redeem herself. http://blogcritics.org/video/article/a-conversation-with-jane-espenson-part/
I love Lana as an actress, and I think the plays the “pathos” of the Evil Queen so perfectly, and yet I’m also excited to see Regina potentially see the error of her ways and strive to become a better mom.
Also, Eddy and Adam gave an interview in which they spoke about the theme of redemption being important for everyone in S2, including Regina.
TVLINE | Which existing character would will surprise us most this season?
KITSIS | I would say Regina. Last year, all we ever showed her was making the wrong decision. Her father said, “Once you go down the revenge path you’ll never go back,” and she did it anyway, and she killed her father. She was told the curse will create a hole in her heart that can’t be filled, and she says voids can always be filled. And yet in the finale, she is faced with saving her son Henry or saving the curse, and she chose Henry and lost everything. So what happens now to Regina? Will this be a second chance? Will she redeem herself? Or will she revert to being the Evil Queen? And now, by the way, she doesn’t have to keep lying — I’m the Evil Queen, that’s right. And this is how it goes. The audience will be surprised by how she handles all this.
http://tvline.com/2012/09/29/once-upon-a-time-season-2-fall-tv-preview/#utm_source=copypaste&utm_campaign=referral
Basically, due to the curse, Regina had a hole in her heart that she was never able to fill, even with her adopted son. When the curse was broken by Emma, suddenly Regina no longer had this void, and she was free to love her son, Henry, completely for the first time. She actually sounded believable when she said she loved Henry in the season 1 finale. She wasn’t exactly mother-of-the-year material, but at least she did make the right choice for once in helping Emma save Henry over the curse.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy