Do you think Neal seeing Rumpel be so vulnerable with Belle, and then also August being willing to sacrifice himself before he dies—did those events change or shift your character at all? To decide to be more vulnerable? Or has that always been a vein in Neal?
Michael Raymond-James: I think that’s always been a vein in his character. Those sorts of moments can inspire a sleeping giant inside people. They allow for something that’s always been there, but has long since been put away in a box for the purpose of self-preservation. The capacity that people have to endure is amazing. But sometimes one must come up with coping mechanisms, and that certainly could be one of Neal’s. But when you see these moments of sacrifice or human tenderness or kindness, it inspires those aspects of ourselves to wake up a little bit. [x]
"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