ONCE UPON A TIME: Colin O’Donoghue and Edward Kitsis on the Appeal of Hook
February 10, 2013 by Marisa Roffman
ONCE UPON A TIME has introduced a whole batch of new characters since the show premiered in 2011, but few have prompted quite the reaction that Colin O’Donoghue’s Hook has.
“I’ve been on Twitter a lot and I knew they teased the character [at Comic-Con],” Donoghue told reporters on the Vancouver set late last year. “So that was a thing I was very aware of when my first episode was coming out, because obviously I knew there was an expectation there. I hope the fans aren’t disappointed with Hook and the way he’s been portrayed.”
Of course, in the months since he’s debuted, he has heard some of the opinions from viewers thanks to social media.
“We’re up here working and my family and friends are all up in Ireland, and you go, OK, you do the work,” he said. “On Twitter, it’s a bit strange, because some of the stuff people say…I’m very proud of the fact that the fans [of my character] are called Hookers. I think that’s great. But none of that is real. You have to get on to doing your job and staying alive, so it’s funny. I’ve had some strange things requested!”
And he’s not the only one hearing that feedback. When I spoke with ONCE UPON A TIME co-creator Edward Kitsis last month, he told me he’s been blown away by the reaction to Hook, too.
“I will tell you, from the moment Colin auditioned, and I was home and watching it, [it was clear,]” Kitsis said. “My wife never watches auditions with me, and I’m seeing it, staring at it like I’m transfixed, and I hear this, ‘You better f—ing hire him.’ And I turn around and it’s my wife. I’ve never seen a reaction to anybody like I’ve seen with Colin. Like, it’s crazy. Network executives, I have a lot of female executives and they’re like, ‘Is Hook in this one?’ And I’m like, ‘What?’ And they’re like, ‘Can Hook be here?’ [My reply is] ‘This scene is just Henry alone on a slide.’ [And they joke] ‘That’s all right: Hook likes playgrounds!’ Colin has just done an unbelievable job and the character is so much fun.”
ONCE UPON A TIME airs Sundays at 8 PM on ABC.
Related:
ONCE UPON A TIME: Guess Who’s Returning?
ONCE UPON A TIME: ‘Tiny’ Photo Preview — Jorge Garcia Returns and SMALLVILLE’s Cassidy Freeman Guest Stars
ONCE UPON A TIME: BROTHERS & SISTERS’ John Pyper-Ferguson to Guest Star
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Filed under #1 featured, Once Upon A Time
Ed Kitsis must think all women like Hook…
Everytime Adam and Ed try to foist me with Hook and Hook’s hotness. I have less desire to see Once Upon a Time.
They are giving too much prominence to Hook and forgetting the main cast 🙁
By the way Ed dont forget to make Hook as an example of fatherly figure , a hero for ruin the whole show, which I thought was very good.
But it starts to annoy me…
This woman loves Hook! If they don’t keep him, I’ll be sick! Adam, Eddy, please, please keep Hook through season 3. I already liked Once Upon A Time, but he’s made the show for me. The main cast is okay, but for me, the show is better now because you guys gave me something I didn’t have before: A favorite character.
the main cast is great, but it’s like a boat rowed with oars. You need both to navigate the waters you want to travel. The boat is the main vessel but if you don’t have the oars, your journey will be a lot rougher. The main cast again, is great, but they can’t do it all, all by themselves. It’s like cinnamon and sugar. The show is better because of Hook, and he’s the sugar you sprinkled on that roll.
Thank you, for Captain Hook. He is absolutely fantastic!
Sincerely,
Sarah in Chattanooga
I am impressed with this Hook, i think Colin is doing a great job!
I am also surprised with how much attention Hook/Colin have got… i dont think they all expected it, and also Captain Swan pairing!
Hook is so much more then a villian, he’s not even a villian to be honest, he’s more of a bad boy, who is right in wanting revenge and justice to what happened to him, and why he is the way he is, which shaped him being Hook…. but there is still that lighter side to him which comes out esp around Emma, I am a Captain Swan | Hook-Emma shipper!
I think this is the kind of character OUAT was missing in Season1, you look back to Season 1 now, you immediately feel the gap of Hook IMO
I hope Hook stays around for a long time…. and Emma-Hook 🙂
Ed’s female executives whether they had children like me, never would want a man who makes sexual advances to women near my children.
Emma will be stupid if consent Hook near Henry …disgusting…
And look at ratings… if Hook is so appealing why many people failed to see this season 2?
LOVE LOVE LOVE Hook. I stopped watching once upon a time after season one, after they killed Graham. A friend convinced me to tune in January after Hook was hit by the car. FINALLY a dynamic character with a sense of humour and great flirtations. He can make innuendos near me or my kids anytime – I’d laugh -guess I’m just not as uptight as some.
He’s a charming pirate after all – par for the course. My only complaint is that the character needs to be fleshed out more – what is his history – who is killian jones, why did he become a pirate, why was he so in love with milah that her death has motivated 300 years of plotting revenge. I don’t want to be told I want to be shown.
Love the job the actor has been doing with him.
Emma and Hook have the most incredible chemistry. No other interaction for emma on this show has even come close. The princess and the pirate would be great fun!