Emma + Baelfire = Swanfire

[Demileto]

Don’t think this has been posted yet:

Michael Raymond-James Discusses the True Hopes and Dreams
of his Character Neal/Baelfire on Once Upon a Time
by Diane J. Reed
http://www.onceuponafans.com/a-drifter-s-golden-dream

Probably the most in-depth interview about Baelfire/Neal MRJ did so far. It’s a great read, he does a really great analysis of who Neal is as a person and what drives him, among other things.

[RumplesGirl]

Great link! Thanks! I’m going to re-post it out in the forum so everyone who isn’t here to talk about Swanfire can read!!

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[eastofthesun]

Great Interview…I love that MRJ knows his character so well….and adore that he always says the things that I (and many swanfire shippers 😉 ) always believe are Neal’s motives/personality….he is an eternal optimism,always has hope, is a brave survivor, willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good, to find family, true love, and a happy ending!! 😀 I hope he becomes a season regular for next season…when did we find out about new season regulars last year????

[emma-bae-henry]

@EastOfTheSun wrote:

Great Interview…I love that MRJ knows his character so well….and adore that he always says the things that I (and many swanfire shippers 😉 ) always believe are Neal’s motives/personality….he is an eternal optimism,always has hope, is a brave survivor, willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good, to find family, true love, and a happy ending!! 😀 I hope he becomes a season regular for next season…when did we find out about new season regulars last year????

THIS 😀

I will definite do happy dance when the announcement comes out. Maybe after last episode is aired?

[kfchimera]

I like how thoughtful his answers are, but the bit about Neal knowing the fairytale characters throws me. Actors don’t always understand more than they need to know for their motivation in a scene, but as others have said the only people he might know are BF, Rumpel and in a way, he might have concern for Emma’s parents. Unless what he means is he knows OF them from fairytales, and having read his father’s fairy tale, knows they are real as well. As an audience/reader you can connect to characters, after all, and in a way, that’s what we do on this show as fans, we have favorites and the ones that irk us, almost as if we know them. So in that way, because he knows their stories (or some version of it) as we do, they aren’t strangers completely to him.

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” -- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

[Slurpeez]

May I just add here that the princesses of Once romance, Emilie de Ravin (Belle) and Ginnifer Goodwin (Snow White), both ship SwanFire?! 😀

"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

[RumplesGirl]

I mean…SQUEE

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[kfchimera]

It’s funny because you would think their characters would have that opinion as well. I wonder what Lana, Josh, Colin, and RC think–does it follow their character or not? I know J.Mo has to be careful of what she says and is more in the know about Emma’s perspective. I have not seen a lot of interviews with J.Mo. yet since the finale and that big reveal. There was this one Wetpaint J. Mo. Interview

Emma told Neal that she loved him! Did she say that from a very real place, or was she caught up in the moment?

I think when you’re in a situation like that, the truth comes out. You can overthink and rethink things in life when you have time to, when the stakes aren’t that high, but when you’re really faced with a true life or death situation, I think that’s when the truth comes out.

What we love about the show is that it’s a family drama mixed with fairy tale mythology. So there’s this idea of True Love on Once Upon a Time. Who do you think Emma’s True Love is?

Ultimately, I think Henry is her True Love because he’s not only her child, but he represents her chance to be a parent in the way she never had. She didn’t have any parents. So there’s such a complex, layered love there. I think True Love is going to redefine itself for Emma over the years, which is why she’s a fascinating character to me. She’s someone who have been so closed off to romantic love for so long, and she’s going to start rediscovering it in different ways based on having a family now and having her parents around and having her son back in her life. She’s constantly being faced with these outrageous challenges that all of these situations in the show bring her, so I don’t know what True Love means for her romantically because she’s not ready for it yet. So we’re going to see her grow into that and see what that becomes for her down the road.

Actors have to be careful about spoilers or making declarations about things as absolutes when they know the story could change. They are only ever told how their character feels at this moment, so it sounds like she hasn’t been told (or cleared to say) that Neal is a “true love” yet she can say that Emma was not just caught up in the moment with Neal. So what I take from that is that J. Mo. thinks her character’s understanding of what true love is evolving. Both MJR and J. Mo. have sort of said how important Henry is in terms of their character’s story arcs.

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” -- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

[Slurpeez]

@KFChimera wrote:

Actors have to be careful about spoilers or making declarations about things as absolutes when they know the story could change. They are only ever told how their character feels at this moment, so it sounds like she hasn’t been told (or cleared to say) that Neal is a “true love” yet she can say that Emma was not just caught up in the moment with Neal. So what I take from that is that J. Mo. thinks her character’s understanding of what true love is evolving. Both MJR and J. Mo. have sort of said how important Henry is in terms of their character’s story arcs.

I agree that Jennifer, MRJ and Colin have to tread carefully for fear of divulging too much. They can talk openly about love in a general sense, but they can’t give away too much of their real feelings/thoughts for fear of upsetting fans, fans misinterpreting what their own opinion are, or giving away any of the specifics of Emma’s love life in S3. It’s certainly a balancing act. But, there’s no reason why actors such as Ginny and Emilie can’t openly speak of their own personal preferences; after all, they’re not spokeswomen for Emma, Neal or Hook. They’re just fans.

"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

[kfchimera]

Yes, they are speaking as fans, but fans who definitely see the perspective of their characters–which is why I am interested if Lana has ever expressed a thought on it since her character is Emma’s adversary and probably would have a different view than the actress as a fan might. I can imagine Regina thinking–well if it is Neal that is one less person to worry about cutting into my time with Henry. I think she’d reluctantly ship it ! 😆

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” -- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

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