Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-29195016-20160724040235/@comment-24674051-20161007180701

but... we have 3 different actresses for Emma. We have 3 different actors for Neal/Baelfire. We even have 3 different actresses for Regina, if you count when she was a baby in Young Cora's arms. XD

Seriously, you're right as far as the casting of different ages is concerned, and we're lucky to have some of the younger character casts that we have had.

If Lady Tremaine is indeed intended to also be Ana's mom, then the only reason they look different is the recast. And honestly, how many people (outside of the hard-core fans like here) would even realize that there were 2 different actresses playing the role. It would fall into the same category as Gaston, to be honest. And to be fair, we are getting a legit Wonderland tie in a week or 2 when Dr. Lydgate shows up, so that episode may provide some additional clues about Ana and the timeline.