Robert Carlyle Breaks Down 'Rumplestiltskin'

On Once Upon a Time, Robert Carlyle's character "Rumplestiltskin" seems quite a mystery to viewers, as his true identity changes with such polarity that it seems as though he has no real identity at all. In the featured video, Carlyle gives his take on his character in the fantasy series.

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"My belief--though I don't entirely know--I don't think that 'Rumple[stiltskin]' particularly is 100 percent anything," he says of his character's identity. Rumplestiltskin began will purely good intentions in the beginning episodes of the series, but after making a deal with "The Dark One," becomes a completely different man.

His character eventually ventures so far from his original persona that he abandons his child after making a pact with him to leave the world of fantasy together. "He breaks that deal. The only deal he's ever broken, and he's regretted it for eternity," Carlyle reflects.

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Check out the full video above for Carlyle's candid breakdown of his complex character, Rumplestiltskin. Once Upon a Time airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC.