'Once Upon a Time' Star Sean Maguire Says Robin and Regina's Love is 'Very Much Like Romeo & Juliet'
The wait is almost over!
It's been nearly four months since we've seen Once Upon a Time's fan favorite Sean Maguire on our screens as the infamous Robin Hood, and now we’re just six days away from his magical return in this Sunday's all-new episode.
The last time we saw Robin, fans were crushed when he was forced to leave Storybrooke, and his beloved Regina (Lana Parilla), behind in order to save the life of Marian, the mother of his son and former flame. But after getting off the phone with Maguire to talk about this week's highly anticipated hour, we're now more confident than ever that Robin and Regina belong together.
Read on for scoop on Robin and Regina's "extraordinarily strong connection," how our fairytale character has been adjusting to life in present-day NYC, and if a Captain Swan and Outlaw Queen double date could be on the horizon.
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When we mentioned we'd be chatting with you, we received a huge outpouring of questions. You have quite the passionate fan base of Hoodies!
SM: Yes it would appear so. I think that it's the show, I don’t think that it's specifically about me -- I think the show is one of those shows that evokes the passion in people, and it's more so than I've ever really experienced on other shows. They've been lovely to me and I'm so grateful, especially because I'm kind of coming to the party a little bit late. [Laughs] They've been really amazing and I've been really overwhelmed about the passion from the fans of this show.
It's been a while since we've seen you on our TV screens. What can fans look forward to seeing form Robin Hood in Sunday's all-new episode?
SM: There's a lot going into the back-story of how Robin kind of came to be Robin Hood, as opposed to Robin of Loxley. It's a little difficult to figure out how much to say without giving too much away, but basically in this episode we're going back into his past. We sort of find out a little bit about how he came to become an outlaw, and why he is the way he is – certainly in regards to his code of honor and things like that. I think it will be very exciting for the fans of the show to see Rebecca [Mader] back, especially because Robin Hood and the Wicked Witch never really had much connection before or much to do with each other. So it's kind of interesting having that dynamic as well because Rebecca is terrific.
Is this only going to show Robin in flashback form or can we look forward to seeing Robin in present-day as well?
SM: Oh both! It's been a lot of while since we filmed this one, but I think a lot of the episode has to do with the flashback and to see where Robin came from. Back in the other world, we'll see Robin and Marian have gone to New York since leaving Storybrooke, so yes there's a bit of both.
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What can you tease about what Robin, Marian and Roland have been up to in New York City since leaving Storybrooke?
SM: Initially for these three people -- Robin and Marian and Roland -- who have only lived in Storybooke or in the Enchanted Forest, being in modern-day New York is a bit overwhelming for them. You kind of see that they're a little bit like Macaulay Culkin, you know just lost in New York. [Laughs] So they're kind of like confused from the moment they get there, but Robin is a pretty resourceful chap and I think he kind of figures out what to do and how to manage. But yeah, it's definitely difficult for them and it's kind of sweet and a little bit like sad for them as well. There's obviously some surprises coming, which I can't say too much about, but I do remember thinking that the way we shot the end of the episode is certainly going to surprise some people.
While Robin has been away in New York and trying to adjust to life in the Big Apple, do you think he has been missing Regina?
SM: Of course, yeah! I mean the way that it's written, and what I know from where we've gone with it, I think Robin has always been in love with Regina, pretty much from when he first met her. I think that when he met Marian, that was his true love and then he lost her and he mourned the loss of her. And then he met Regina, and that was it. Sort of an arrow straight through his heart, and I think he was completely smitten from the moment he met her -- and I think he still is. I think despite being with Marian, which he had to do that and it was the honorable thing to do, his heart very much lies with Regina.
Robin's honor is very important to him and even though he feels a sense of loyalty to Marian, do you think that his love for Regina has eclipsed his feelings for Marian?
SM: Oh totally. I think before Marian collapsed again, he had said, "I've made my decision and my decision is to be with [Regina]. I've got to be with the woman I love, and I've got to be honest about that because if I can't be honest, how can I show my son how to be a real man?" And he was ready to say to Marian, "Look, I'm so sorry but we had our time and that time went, and now I've fallen in love with someone else." But because Marian was going to die if he didn’t take her out of Storybrooke -- he couldn’t let something bad happen to his former wife, and so he did what was the right thing to do. Not because it's what he wanted, but because it was the honorable thing to do. And I think as you said, if he had to make a choice between Regina and Marian -- it was going to be Regina. He's moved on and I loved the way they've written their relationship. I feel like they're very much like Romeo and Juliet. Just an extraordinarily strong connection, and even though he had to go to New York to be with Marian, his mind is constantly on Regina and I think she's all he thinks about really.
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Awww, you're going to make all the fans swoon by saying that and I think Lana would probably blush.
SM: [Laughs] Well, also I think the main thing is Lana and I get along so well. I think sometimes it's so much easier to play a romance when you've really got a great bond with the actor that you're playing opposite. She and I just get along really so great so it makes playing that romance and that friendship just so much easier.
Speaking of friendship, we chatted with Colin O'Donoghue not too long ago and he mentioned he'd like more bromance scenes between Hook and Robin. Would You like to see that? Maybe even a Captain Swan and Outlaw Queen double date?
SM: I would love that! I was actually just at Colin's place yesterday, and he's actually an amazing cook. He and his wife, Helen, had me and my wife over and Jennifer Morrison as well, and we all just had a lovely Easter Sunday together. Colin and his wife are some of the best people in the world and we just absolutely adore them, and Colin was saying yesterday, "I love this -- this is great. It's like family." We both come from a very similar kind of background where being a part of a big family, and having big Sunday dinners, and all of that is kind of what we sort of grew up doing. So we're kind of replicating that with Colin and Helen and I just can't say enough nice things about them. We just completely love them and they have become like our second family up there. So yes, I would love to have an episode where Hook and Hood are hanging out, and also because they're both kind of like scoundrels, and kind of a bit like Han Solo, both of them. So seeing them hanging out or going on a double date, I think it'd be really fun and since Colin and I get along so well, I'm sure we'd have fun and it would make for good stuff on screen.
Lastly will we be getting a deeper peek into the significance of Robin's lion tattoo? Fans are really curious about the meaning behind it.
SM: I know, well, you know what? I think at some point we will learn a little bit about that, but we’re not going to delve into that in this particular episode. We do find out quite a few little things about Robin and his history in this episode, but the lion tattoo is going to remain a bit of a mystery for the moment. Which is kind of cool because this episode gives away, "Oh, so that's why this is that way," but with the lion tattoo, we kind of get to keep that secret still, so they'll have to stay tuned.
Once Upon a Time airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
What do you think of Robin and Regina's separated romance? Are you looking forward to this Sunday's episode? Sound off in the comments below or tweet with @LeanneAguilera on Twitter!
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