(ABC/Jack Rowand)
Over the weekend Washington, D.C. played host to the annual Awesome Con fan event. This year one of the featured guests was none other than the Queens of Darkness Season 4b trio of villains Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella De Vil from ABC’s hit series Once Upon a Time. I had the distinct pleasure of chatting with two of the Queens, Victoria Smurfit (Cruella) and Merrin Dungey (Ursula) during a break in their very busy schedule about their wild ride guest starring this season.
Both women were gracious and funny with a quick wit and amazing personal chemistry. It was abundantly clear both actresses thoroughly enjoyed not only their time on the show getting to add their own flare to the notably iconic fairytale classics but also getting to play along side series regulars Robert Carlyle and Lana Parrilla.
Full interview after the jump!
Going from Lady Jayne Wetherby on Dracula to one of the most iconic villains Cruella De Vil on Once Upon a Time, how did the role come about? Did you know which character they wanted you to play when you were first contacted?
Victoria Smurfit: No I didn’t. I had no idea. I just got a call from my agent to say the creators of Once Upon a Time want you in their show here’s the number call them. I went OK and called them and we were chatting and I had to stop them because we were talking about Jazz era 1920’s and “I’m sorry boys just one thing. Who am I playing?” They said “Oh, Cruella De Vil”. I’m like what?! It was super exciting. They already had ideas about where she would go and what would happen to her but I don’t but I don’t think it had been flushed out at that stage so it was really exciting to watch her entire arc and journey and find out she was going to be the only villain that had no redemptive side what-so-ever.
Merrin Dungey: Her best quality was she was best-friends with Ursula.
VS: That’s true! And you know what, you threw us under the bus (directed to Merrin) and I did not come and hunt you down.
MD: I know.
VS: You broke my heart! There was an unseen scene…
MD: Seen in our minds lol
VS: Unseen scene in our minds that was not written of me weeping…oh darling! Left me for dead.
MD: I know I kinda did! I kinda threw you down man. It was crazy, it was cold.
It WAS a little cold.
MD: Like a fish.
But considering she probably would have stabbed you in the back anyway…
MD: I know there’s no honor amongst thieves.
VS: I couldn’t have! What could I have done? Brushed your hair?
That’s true! That’s right!
VS: I had no powers! Stolen your chocolate milk? I mean what could I have done to you?
She’s this character…
MD: That ate sushi in front of me?
Your version of Cruella was different from the original animated character. The original was pretty bad but this version of Cruella, her happy ending was to regain the ability to kill again.
VS: That’s all she wanted!
Ursula wasn’t anywhere near that, Maleficent’s was very different…
MD: Ours was very sweet (Ursula and Maleficent). It was very accessible for an audience because who wouldn’t want their kid back, who wouldn’t want to be with their family again. These were heart warming things and yours was…but you know it’s funny because people come up to me and say how much they love Ursula and that’s one of their favorite villians which I love and appreciate but I think Cruella even in the cartoon is the sickest. She wants to skin puppies! I mean that’s dark! Mine’s manipulative and she wants power but you wanna kill puppies.
VS: You know a guy just came up and said I don’t get it. In one of the first episodes the churnabog chose who was the darkest but as it played out actually you were the darkest.
MD: That’s true!
VS: It’s kind of like a shhh little hole in the plot perhaps. Oh let’s not bring that up, we’ll let that slide!
That’s right because Ursula was more about making amends with her father and then you had Maleficient who was brought back to life, which was amazing to see but it was more about her family, finding her daughter. Cruella embraced her darkness from the time she was little and by the end she’s over the top, trying to kill everyone…
VS: In fairness, I’ll put it back to you, she was the most true to herself.
Oh 100%, she owned it!
VS: Of all of them she knew who she was, I think she played a good slow game. She didn’t push herself forward to begin with that you guys all do. I stood back, snarky remarks, some flurty flurts and then comes in with the old sit down there dragon take a nap. It was a lot of fun but also while we’re filming it I don’t know where they’re gonna go with it. You haven’t a clue.
That was my next question if you had any idea from the start that they would take it in that direction, that they would take it so dark?
VS: I was delighted that they went so dark. I loved that they went so dark. I was sad that they killed her but if you’re going to be bad-to-the-bone, born bad and you’re going to be a narcissistic sociopath…YOU GOTTA DIE! With Lady Jane and in Missing and this (OUAT) I apparently have a face that must be killed on American TV! This is what I’ve learned in the last year or two.
MD: But you’re such a little sweetie! You’re a little sweetie on the inside! You’ve got a cotton candy center. You know what it is it’s the God damned cheek bones, it’s those cheek bones!
VS: I’ve just gotta go down! I’ve shot in the head, I’ve had my neck ripped out and fallen off a cliff.
MD: I killed myself on Alias. I killed my own self on Alias. I killed my own self with a bullet to the head so let’s just dial it back ok. Ease up!
Was it difficult for either of you to come into a show that’s been on for four seasons, you’re coming in mid-season with such a huge story arc. Is it hard coming in with established characters…
MD: The good news is we got to do it together.
VS: Yes we were a trio coming in and also the established characters and actors are so loving and giving and kind and sweet and they know exactly what they’re doing.
MD: And they give us tips, just let the costume play itself. We’re doing a regular drama here you don’t have to be so arch and crazy. I also don’t think we knew how big our arc was going to be.
VS: We had no idea.
MD: We thought oh we’re gonna guest on this show a couple episodes.
VS: I think it’s also kind of exciting for them. I think the regular actors are kind of excited to have new blood to go play with. You know?
MD: Well yeah they all take turns. That first half of the season was Frozen with a lot of Emma and Lana had a break in the beginning, Ginny and Josh had a bit of a break.
VS: She became part of our trio (referring to Lana Parrilla as Regina).
MD: She was like…we had to do these big photo tests with your outfit and the makeup and it’s three hours…it’s a whole thing. She (Lana) came down and wasn’t even working that day and she like “I wanna see what you’re wearing!” she was so excited to come play. Everyone was like come play, come play!
VS: She had more villians to play with.
MD: Everyone was super supportive. Josh and Ginny, pros from the beginning. Robert…it was just great for everyone. It was like “new toy, new toy”.
I want to talk a little about the costumes but I also wanted to ask about the tentacles.
MD: Well that’s CGI.
Was it all CGI? So you had nothing to play against other than the dress itself?
MD: Every once in a while they would hook something under my dress to lift it up a little bit but I had nothing from which to play with.
I wasn’t sure if they had a blue screen prop for you to use as a reference point.
MD: No. Nothing. So you’ll watch in the very first one that we did which was the winter finale I actually put my dukes up almost and they’re like “put your hands down!” because when you fight your instinct is to do something with your hands and they’re like it’s all your tentacles so I had to learn to swing my hips and do all these other things. But that whole outfit is built from the ground up and Eduardo (Castro) is a genius and that whole costume team. They made that print, that’s not any material you can buy. They made that design. (She’s referring to the print of Ursuala’s dress.)
VS: My dress, my sequin dresses were bought but then all my furs were couture made. There was one outfit we didn’t get to wear that was just stunning. I named all my furs because I’m sad and I thought of them as my children. The big white one is Clarissa. She weighs 60 pounds. When you’re in 4 inch red stilettos you don’t know whether to pitch forward, pitch back.
MD: No wonder she’s so wobbly it’s perfect that you’re so off kilter.
VS: It’s the gin darling!
MD: The gin and the furs!
I’m sure with the cold Vancouver winters it came in handy.
VS: Super handy. Everyone wanted to hug me when we were up in the Enchanted Forest.
Well sure! I mean you see at least Jennifer (Morrison) at least has a knit cap beanie. Poor Lana you never see her…
MD: That’s not true! That’s not true! She has sweet leather coats lined with cashmere. Look at miss bare shoulders. (Referring to Ursula’s costume having exposed skin.)
You have bare shoulders, that’s true. Lol
MD: You quickly see that I had a big cape made because it was like uh uh, home slice can not be working outside. We had one, I don’t think they ever used it, we were walking down the mountain over looking the town and I had to take my stuff off and be bare for like two hours.
Ok, I have to ask about that car. Were you able to actually drive it?
VS: Oh yeah, I drove it all the time! I did all the driving I drove her crazy, I terrified her!
Real speed or TV speed?
VS: Some was real speed. The speed was good, it was quality! And then one day they had put the camera in car and I had to go as fast as I could down this alley and come to a stop which was the scene just before meeting Maleficent before I calm her down as a dragon in my last episode. I was a bat out of hell in that thing!
I was totally driving it. I played a cop for seven years in England for Lynda La Plante and we used to regularly put the camera operator in the back and just drive around London and pick a car that was a baddie and ran the round-abouts of tiny streets of London until the real cops got us and we buggered back saying it wasn’t us. So I was well used to it!
You both have been hitting the convention circuit this year and have a few more through the summer correct?
VS: Yes I’m going to Paris, we’re going to Dragon…
MD: Dragon Con. There’s one in Ireland. We just got back from London. This (Awesome Con) was our first American con.
How has the experience been so far?
MD: You’re working in a box you have no idea. You see the response on Twitter but it’s nice to actually meet fans who are really inspired and excited. It’s been overwhelming and wonderful to see what kind of response they have to our work.
Do you have any new projects coming up?
VS: I’m doing a film in Portland where I play evil again. That’s what I do! Anybody needs anybody evil…I don’t do nice apparently.
Would you like to do some nice?
VS: Oh to hell with nice! Evil’s more fun!
MD: You have a film premiering this summer in London.
VS: Yeah that’s right. It’s call “Bait”. It’s been renamed. That comes out in the UK in September. Other than that, rearing three children. It’s a busy life!
MD: And I’m working on a show called “Chasing Life” and that’s Season 2 I believe premieres August 17th on ABC Family.
Twitter: @VictoriaSmurfit
Twitter: @RealMerrinD