Hailing all the way from the Enchanted Forest, Regina the Evil Queen is making her way to Kelowna to spend some time at Okanagan wineries and enjoy a few home-made classics at local Italian eatery, Il Tavolino.
As a close family friend to local business owner and chef Alessandro De Angelis, award-winning actress Lana Parrilla, best known for her role as Mayor Regina Mills and the Evil Queen in the ABC fantasy drama Once Upon a Time, will be here in Kelowna over the long weekend.
De Angelis has the whole weekend planed for Parrilla and her family, including a mini meet and greet with Il Tavolino patrons and Once Upon a Time fans.
On Saturday September 5th, Parrilla will tap back into her days as a waitress, serving coffee and gelato to customers and local fans between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.
Aside from chatting with fans, Parrilla is also excited to explore Kelowna.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the Okanagan and trying the wine, and to eat the delicious food. I’m weirdly looking forward to [De Angelis'] meatballs,” said a laughing Parrilla in an interview with KelownaNow.com.
Half Sicilian and half Puerto Rican, Parrilla grew up on home-made Italian food, and meatballs are by-far one of her favourite dishes. After trying De Angelis meatball recipe at a dinner hosted in Vancouver, meatballs have just never been the same.
“I will never forget that meal, the food was extraordinary,” added Parrilla. “The meatballs were melt-in-your mouth tasty. I quickly got in touch with Sandro so I could bring some home, put my name on them, and hide them on my side of the fridge.”
On Tuesday, KelownaNow.com got to know more about the woman behind the villain, and it soon became apparent that Parrilla loves the challenge of playing Regina the Evil Queen.
Quick disclaimer: for those of you who are not yet caught up on the latest Once Upon a Time season, be aware that there may be a few spoiler alerts along the way.
Torn somewhere between the villain and the hero, Regina’s character portrays an incredibly broad scope of emotions, and Parrilla enjoys every minute of it.
“I love playing Regina, I wouldn’t want to play any other character on the show,” said an enthusiastic Parrilla. “My character has gone through some transformation over the years. She started out as a villain, and was one for the first three seasons, but has slowly started growing out of the villain into the hero, and that’s what we’re exploring this season. I love this new transformation and I love that she’s constantly fighting to be a better person and to grow and learn from the people around her.”
For Parrilla, playing Regina—the good and the bad—means approaching every scene a little differently.
“When I read the script, I saw Regina the evil queen, but I didn’t think of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, I thought ‘oh this is just a woman who’s clearly in pain and something has caused her to become this person. That to me is the most intriguing and I think we’ve really succeeded in showing the depth and the human struggles within these characters.”
Once Upon a Time tells the story of all our favourite fairy-tale characters, but with a modern twist.
Continuing the story after “happily ever after,” the series explores how different characters develop and evolve along the way.
For example, the three female leads in the show—Regina, Snow White, and Emma Swan—embody strong female characters that show young girls around the world that waiting for Prince Charming is a thing of the past.
“It’s extremely important for our youth,” added Parrilla. “We have such a large female fan base and the majority of them are between the ages of 10 and 25. These three characters on the show have really influenced these young women and girls. We’ve humanized these fantastical characters and made them much more relatable; it’s a very positive thing and I’m so happy to be a part of that.”
Now, for the question everyone is dying to know: who is Parrilla’s favourite character on the show?
Parrilla said she truly loves playing Regina, but if she had to choose one other character on the show as her favourite, it would be Robert Carlyle’s character Rumplestiltskin
“I love Robert Carlyle, I’ve been a fan of his for years. He’s extremely talented and extremely entertaining. I really enjoy his performance and I think the character’s back story is really interesting: he started off as this coward and became the ‘dark one,’ and his journey is one that I really find entertaining.”
Those keen on meeting Parrilla are invited to drop by Il Tavolino Italian Bistro, located at 3200 Richter Street next to Save On Foods, for some coffee and some home-made Italian treats.
Anyone interested in getting into the show, Once Upon a Time is available on Netflix and airs on Sunday evenings at 8:00 p.m.
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