Neal Cassidy

"I wanted to look for you, but I was too afraid that you wouldn't forgive me because I never forgave myself. There hasn't been a day that's gone by that I don't regret having left you."

- Neal to Emma Swan

Neal Cassidy, formerly known as the Mysterious Man and also known as Baelfire, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He débuts in the first episode of the second season. He is portrayed by starring cast member Michael Raymond-James, and is the Land Without Magic alias of Baelfire.

Trivia

 * -|Character Notes=

Character Notes

 * The name "Neal" is of Irish Gaelic origin derived from the name "Niall" that possibly means "champion" or "cloud".
 * The surname "Cassidy" is of Irish Gaelic origin derived from the surname "Ó Caiside" that means "descendent of Caiside". By itself, "Caiside" is a given name that means "curly haired".
 * His name is similar to Neal Cassady, an infamous thief who served eleven months in prison for possession of stolen goods; just like Emma did when Neal let her take the fall for his crime.
 * The song playing on his iPod during the walk to his apartment is "Charley's Girl" by Lou Reed.
 * Has many vintage items in his apartment such as an array of old radios, old microphones, classic cameras, records and record player, old pencil sharpener and old telephone.
 * There is a sign in his apartment that reads "Cleaner & Hatters".
 * He has a large collection of clocks, just like his father, Mr. Gold, and his son, Henry.
 * The dream-catcher hanging in Neal's apartment was given to him by Emma.
 * According to his wanted poster, he was born on March 23, 1977 in New Jersey. Since Neal and Emma met in 2001, he would have been twenty-four while she was seventeen or eighteen at the time.
 * His wanted poster reads as, "Neal Cassidy has a scar on his left arm from a knife wound."
 * The address of his apartment is 89 Wooster Street, New York, NY, 10012.
 * His apartment is situated across the street from the back building of real-life Italian pasta supplier Piedmont Ravoli Co. Inc. located on 162 Mulberry Street in New York.
 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The casting call describes him as, "in his 20s or 30s, charismatic, sexy and mysterious, but also loyal and kind, and he's running from his past in a land full of danger."
 * The casting call name for him was "Jack".

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.


 * Neal appears in a photo in "Breaking Glass".