Zelena

"The Queen may be Evil, but I'm Wicked. And Wicked always wins."

- Zelena to a Flying Monkey

Zelena, also known as the Wicked Witch of the West, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She débuts in the twelfth episode of the third season. She is portrayed by starring cast member Rebecca Mader and guest star Isabella Blake-Thomas.

The Wicked Witch of the West is based on the character of the same name from the children's novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz".

Trivia

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Etymology

 * The name "Zelena" means "green" in various Slavic languages.

Character Notes

 * After Regina takes back her mother's old spell book from Mr. Gold, he warns her against the potential effects of the book's magic. She responds, "I don't care if they turn me green"; an early reference to the Wicked Witch of the West.
 * Zelena is featured in the title card for "Witch Hunt".
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Production Notes

 * The casting call for her younger self describes her as "11-13 to PLAY 12. Has not yet transformed into the evil, Wicked Witch of Oz. Wretchedly poor and despised by her father for her magical gifts, Zelena only wishes to escape her terrible fate. And then, one day, she discovers that the key to that escape may actually be in the magic he loathes so much. Giving her a chance to prove her worth, and change her life forever..."
 * The role of the Wicked Witch of the West was written specifically for Rebecca Mader.
 * Rebecca Mader's scenes as the Wicked Witch were filmed with a blue background screen rather than the typical green screen, which used for other characters during filming, because her green make-up blends too much into the green screen.
 * At least five different shades of green are used to make Rebecca Mader's skin green for her role as the Wicked Witch. Incidentally, Rebecca Mader also later stated in another interview that seven shades of green are used.
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Props Notes

 * There is a bicycle with a basket in Zelena's porch, which references Miss Gulch, the Wicked Witch of the West's Kansas counterpart, from the 1939 The Wizard of Oz film, who has a similar bicycle.
 * The chest where she keeps David's sword and Regina's heart has "To: W. B S[image ends] 14-25-27th West" written on the lid.
 * Alchemical signs for the four elements are carved into the table and the stone pillars where Zelena and her fellow sister witches are gathered. Fittingly enough, the element of Wicked Witch of the West (downward-pointing triangle) is water, which is also associated with the west
 * The design on Zelena's compass is the same as the witches' table in Oz except that the colors are different. The back on the chairs around the table and the illustration on the cover of the Book of Records have the same design.
 * The book Zelena is reading at the psychiatric ward is What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff.
 * The icing on Zelena's birthday cake is green.

Costume Notes

 * The dress Zelena steals from her sister is the one Regina was wearing in "Hat Trick".

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.
 * Zelena appears in the Underworld storybook in "The Brothers Jones", and "Our Decay".
 * Zelena appears in Henry's storybook in "Last Rites".