Once Upon a Time season 7 spoilers: How Dania Ramirez’s Cinderella will stand out

Dania Ramirez has the honor of playing the new Cinderella on Once Upon a Time season 7, but don’t be fooled by either the name or the traditional costume seen above. This is going to be a different version of the character than the one you’ve seen in the past. She’s going to be someone who really defies convention, and proves to be more of a modern-day character rather than someone who lives only within the lens of the original Disney movie / other fairy tales.

In speaking on this more in an interview with TV Guide, here is what Ramirez had to say about her role:

“My version is edgy and grounded and raw and a badaass actually … She’s not this damsel in distress. Meeting the prince was [not] the end of her night, that was actually the beginning.”

One way or another, this Cinderella is going to be very much integrated into the Once Upon a Time story, potentially even more so than the version that was crafted previously by Jessy Schram. She’s a series regular this time for one, and integrating Cinderella more is one way that this version of the character can stand out more from the iteration that we saw when Snow and Charming were at the center of everything.

Beyond all of this, there is also one other clear villain on the show who is tied very closely to the Cinderella mythology in Lady Tremaine, otherwise known as the Wicked Stepmother. It may be a little early to coin her as the Big Bad for the show, but she should be a significant thorn in the side of any character she ends up coming across.

In speaking to the aforementioned publication, Gabrielle Anwar of Burn Notice fame (who plays the character and is a regular, as well) detailed that her version of this character seems to be very much wicked through and through:

“Regina was a multifaceted character. So far… I haven’t seen any sides to Lady Tremaine that isn’t just God-awful yet, but I have to say I have tremendous pleasure in portraying a character that’s just so mean. It’s so fun.”

Is it possible that we see more of Tremaine down the road? Possibly, given that it is firmly in the Once Upon a Time DNA to feature characters who have both good and evil sides to their personality and aren’t just strictly one thing. One of the things that the show does explore often is that many villains within the world of the series are turned into something evil as a result of a series of things that transpire with them. Therefore, we do very much foresee that this is something that happened with Tremaine … but we may have to wait a while in order to figure that out.

Want to see one of our other CarterMatt features on Once Upon a Time?

Then be sure to head over to the link here! After all, this is where you can see what our full season 7 premiere wishlist is for the show. (Photo: ABC)