‘Once Upon a Time’ season 3: Michael Raymond-James opens up about shocker

To us, the only thing that was more surprising about the end of “Once Upon a Time” Sunday night was the radio silence that followed it throughout the night. We expected someone to speak out about what happened, or at least address it in an interview.

Well luckily, that happened today courtesy of Michael Raymond-James, who opened up for the first time about seeing his character Neal (a.k.a. Baelfire) killed off as a sacrifice for bringing his father Rumpelstiltskin back into the world. It was a shocking twist, but one that was a full-circle moment for the two characters, who learned to at least respect one another after spending their entire lives estranged.

In a series of posts on Twitter, Raymond-James explained the circumstances surrounding his exit, and was as classy and cool as you would expect a guy already well-versed in having his characters killed off (see “True Blood“) to be:

“… I did not ask to leave the show. Nor was I fired. Neal’s death was nothing more than a bold storytelling choice. As an actor I always want to tell bold stories … I have made lifelong friends from this show that work both in front of and behind the camera. For that I am forever grateful.”

Michael also addressed a pair of other false rumors, from some weird gossip involving him destroying a trailer (not even remotely true) to him being in Vancouver right now working on another pilot. He claimed the will always be a fan of the show, and given the way that the writers have a habit of bringing back guest stars, we still feel like it’s possible that he could turn up in a flashback or two. After all, there is such a history out there for these characters that no one who “dies” is necessarily dead for long.

If you want more details on what comes ahead for “Once Upon a Time” without Neal, just be sure to click here. You can also sign up to get further updates from us via our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: ABC