‘Once Upon a Time’: Colin O’Donoghue on Captain Hook’s ‘Complicated’ Bae Dilemma

Captain Hook, meet young Bae.

Once Upon a Time hits the ground running in the season-two finale, "And Straight on 'Til Morning," that is partially set in Neverland. While the residents of present-day Storybrooke brace themselves for the end of the town when Greg (Ethan Embry) and Tamara (Sonequa Martin-Queen) detonate the trigger Regina (Lana Parilla) had put in the curse, in Neverland past Captain Hook's connection to a young Baelfire becomes apparent.

With Hook saving a young Bae, is he on the road to redemption? Maybe so.

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"Hook rescues Bae out of the sea, obviously not knowing that this boy is who he's pulled out. What's really interesting for people will be to see Hook and Bae's relationship and how they interacted with each other in Neverland when Bae was a boy," fan-favorite Hook's portrayer Colin O'Donoghue tells The Hollywood Reporter.

As the Irish actor describes it, their relationship is "interesting" and extremely "complicated." In a chat with THR, O'Donoghue previews Sunday's finale and the dilemma Hook faces as season two winds down.

The Hollywood Reporter: What should we expect in Neverland past?

Colin O'Donoghue: It's interesting because Hook obviously was in love with Milah, Bae's mother, and he has this hatred for Bae's father, so it's a complicated thing. On the one hand, he loved one person, and on the other hand, he hated the other. How does he react to this boy? Does he decide to care for him because of his mother or does he decide to hate him or treat him in a bad way because of Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle)? I think people will be intrigued to see the relationship that develops.

THR: It seemed like Neal (Michael Raymond-James) in present day was killed at the end of last week's episode. Can you shed some light on that?

O'Donoghue: Well, he was shot and fell through the portal so ... you can definitely assume he was dead because he was shot.

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THR: Can you give us a nugget for the finale?

O'Donoghue: I can say that you get to see Neverland, you get to see this incredible world, you get to see Hook's interactions with Bae and how they knew each other from before. The finale is definitely a fantastic. The fans are going to be really happy with the finale. It's a great episode.

THR: Over the course of the season, have you had favorite moments or scenes?

O'Donoghue: I really enjoyed working on everything. The standout one for me was my first episode when I was dressed as Captain Hook standing on a ship sailing out to sea, and it was a surreal moment. That was one that stands out because that was a incredible thing to be doing and be able to make a living doing. [Laughs]

THR: Have the producers talked to you about season-three plans and how Hook plays into that?

O'Donoghue: We haven't really discussed it. I know what I would like to see, whether or not those things will happen, who knows. [Laughs] But I'd like to see how Hook would interact with people and develop relationships in the town considering he's been this lone wolf for a while on a quest for revenge. It would be interesting to see how he could develop as a character.

Once Upon a Time wraps up season two at 8 p.m. Sunday on ABC.

E-mail: Philiana.Ng@thr.com
Twitter: @insidethetube

Philiana Ng