Once Upon a Dragon Con Part 2: 'Only the Good Die Young'

Behind the scenes

When asked how they reacted to the casting call, Smurfit said, “screaming and wine, which is my reaction to a lot of things.” It turns out that she had actually auditioned to be Belle’s mother, but didn’t get that part. Dungey got the call while she was on her way to pick up her daughter from Pre-K. She was still on the phone when she got there (that’s against the school's rules), and she was so ecstatic that she had to get out of the car and tell the teacher about it (that’s against the show’s rules)! I guess Dungey is rebel at heart.

On the other hand, when Bauer first got her call, the show had not yet aired, so she didn’t really know what she was getting into except that she would be portraying Maleficent. This was also prior to the release of the version featuring Angelina Jolie. She proceeded to tell the story of how she was driving her mother to an appointment when her agent, manager, and lawyer called. They began arguing whether or not she should take the job. Her mother, who hates to be late, was getting impatient, so she decided to leave her decision up to fate. She flipped a quarter. She decided that if it landed on heads, she'd do it, and it did. As one audience member shouted, "Thank you, quarter!" She told the others she’d do it and promptly got off the phone so she could take care of her mother. She is such an exemplary daughter! As a side note, Bauer always leaves difficult decisions to the flip of a coin. She always goes with it, and it’s worked out for her every time.

They had so many favorite scenes, it was hard to narrow them down. They all enjoyed the scene in the car while waiting for the train. Bauer specifically mentioned her scenes with Lily, and her flashbacks with young Regina. Dungey liked the mid-season finale when they kidnapped Belle, as well as when she and Cruella called Regina from the town line. Smurfit enjoyed holding Robert Carlyle (Rumpelstiltskin) at gun point and filming the face off with the Charmings in the rain.

Bauer, Dungey, and Smurfit repeatedly espoused how lucky they feel to have been part of the show. The most important thing that came out of this panel, though, was their desire to do a spinoff. Let’s start a petition! #QueensofDarkness #spinoff

Again, the entire panel is included below, thanks to Once Upon a Fan.

Part 1

Part 2