'Once Upon a Time' Star Sara Tomko Discusses Her Work in the Show; Teases Upcoming SyFy Series 'Resident Alien'

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk to Once Upon a Time star Sara Tomko (The Leftovers, Resident Alien) about her work on the show, as well as her upcoming series regular gig on upcoming SyFy series Resident Alien, based on the comic book series of same name, and a bit about her personal life. Check out the interview below: OUAT Wiki | First of all, I’d like to thank you for agreeing to do this interview. I’m happy to help especially since you were so kind in helping me OUAT Wiki | So, how did you get into acting? When I was young I grew up watching films with my brothers. It was a big part of our childhood and I remember watching The Labyrinth and thinking Sarah, the lead woman, looked like me. She had long dark hair and she had my name (minus the h) and I thought “I could do that!” I was eleven at the time, I had no idea what “that” was other than, she was on my screen and she looked like me and she was living out a fantasy. It wasn’t until years later that I really understood that Sarah was played by an actress named Jennifer Connelly and she was acting. I got into acting in high school, playing the odd, eccentric roles that no one else wanted. When college came and I had to choose a major, I remember thinking “well I’m not sure what my practical job should be so I’ll choose Theatre for now” not really realizing that Acting was just as much a profession as anything else. In college, I quickly fell deeply in love and by the time I graduated I thought “I really don’t want to do anything else” and so my career began! OUAT Wiki | If you weren’t an actor, what would you work with? My first love was to be a writer. I still long to publish a book of poetry one day. I also am interested in writing a youth novel at some point. I’m an advocate for mental health and I always thought it would be interesting to cater to girls between the ages of 9 and 13 and somehow write a novel that made their generation feel seen and heard. It’s a very formative age and I think some tools used for strong mental health are lacking during these years. It would be nice to help other young women build a strong foundation going into their adulthood. Also, I’m a singer, so maybe one of those cool girls at the cafe who sings some indie folk while you sip your latte. I always thought that was cool. Or maybe some Billie Holiday blues by the piano OUAT Wiki | How have you been dealing with the whole pandemic situation? The pandemic has been an interesting ride. I was in Canada finishing up my series regular role of Asta in the new SyFy series Resident Alien when the pandemic hit and we were only two weeks away from finishing. We had to stop production like everyone else and go home. My partner, TJ, and I have been cooped up for five months, somewhat happily because we like each other a lot and creating something new daily in our homes is never a bad thing for us. But I can’t help missing my mom and dad, or playing with my best friend’s children. So it’s been an interesting lesson on patience and perseverance. Right now, I’m back in Canada quarantining as we speak! It was crazy stressful to travel during a pandemic but now I’m here safe and sound and we shall finish what we began two years ago! Hopefully you will be able to see the show hit the air in the new year! 
OUAT Wiki | I am really excited to watch it. The show looks really good, congratulations. Since you brought it up, can we talk a bit about Resident Alien? Of course! OUAT Wiki | Were you familiar with the comics before being cast in the show? I was not, however I read them all the minute I got cast! I actually had never read a comic before in my life but I have to say Peter Hogan’s storytelling was so delightful and Steve Parkhouse’s art is so inviting and compelling, I felt a strong bias towards this story immediately. I can see the appeal of comics now, a good story and good visuals are powerful no matter what form they’re in! OUAT Wiki | The show focuses on an alien, played by Alan Tudyk, who comes to Earth and disguises himself as a doctor. You’re playing the character of Asta Twelvetrees, who, in the comics, is a nurse and the daughter of a shaman, and plays a major role in the story. What can you tease about your character? What I can say is Asta has never felt like she really fits in. She’s a bit of an outcast and a loner. Also, in the comic, she is Half native and half Hawaiian. When they cast me, they wanted to stay true to my personal background, which is a mix of Polish and Native, and it is why I felt so closely linked to how she was written in the comic. I also have never felt like I fit into one box. While I grew up with good friends and family, whenever anyone asked me what my background was, it became a long winded answer that people got tired of. And when it came time to vote, the word I closely related to was the word “other” and this is a strong theme in the show. My character, Asta, is adopted by her father who is a Shaman. While she was raised by him, she is still trying to figure out who she really is. So when Harry, played by Alan Tudyk, comes along, she obviously does not know he is an alien but something about him feels familiar. And I think it’s because he is an “other” too. Similarly, she understands that he is an outcast also trying to fit in & a strange bond begins to form between them. OUAT Wiki | As I’m sure you can’t say much about Resident Alien, let’s talk about Once. Were you familiar with the show before joining it? Yes. My mother and I watched the first two seasons together and loved it. I absolutely adored the backstories of these fairy tale characters that I knew so dearly from childhood. And I loved watching Robert Carlyle come to life on screen. What a fantastic fun character he played. Unfortunately, due to travel and career obligations, I wasn’t able to keep watching the show as much as I would’ve liked. But by the time the audition came around, I caught up quickly and was so happy to get in that audition room and give Captain Hook a run for his money OUAT Wiki | That's great! I'm obviously a fan of the show too, and I loved Tiger Lily and what you did to her, which leads me to my next question: You appeared in four episodes of the show - those being 617, 619, 622 and 710 - and, based on your appearance on 622, many people thought you’d be one of the characters making the leap to the rebooted version of the show. Were there any scrapped plans to bring Tiger Lily back for season 7 in a bigger role, in addition to her appearance on 710? I don’t think they were sure what they wanted to do. When we filmed 622, they weren’t sure they were getting picked up for a 7th season so I think they left a couple of open ended options for themselves to play with, me being one of them. When they got picked up and started writing for season 7, I think they had a lot of characters to take on this new journey and they felt Tiger Lily was a nice gateway to send Lucy on her way. I was honored to hand her the good book and tell her never to lose hope. It was a nice ending for me. And the great thing about that universe is there is never a real end. I could’ve come back at any time if the story had gone on. OUAT Wiki | As you said, there's never a real ending in that universe. If the show was revived, would you be interested in returning to explore more of Tiger Lily? I would definitely explore more Tiger Lily, I think if I came back I would want to show her in her bad ass form, using those arrows, fighting the good fight, getting to know her story as a strong, independent woman. I loved the storyline of her past as a fairy, I would want to show her present as a warrior OUAT Wiki | Did you have to audition for the part of Tiger Lily? If so, what was the audition process like? I did have to audition. Veronica Collins Rooney was the casting director and she was so warm and kind when I walked in the room. They gave me different sides to play with, I actually auditioned with a scene where I captured Hook and held him for ransom against a tree while questioning him and eventually knocking him out. I always thought that would have been fun to play out on screen but sometimes casting writes a script in the same universe as the show because they can’t actually show actors the real script. It was a fun audition regardless. OUAT Wiki | You mentioned that you and your mother were both fans of the show. How did she react when she found out that you'd be in the show? She was giddy with excitement for me. She loved Captain Hook’s character and thought it was so cool I got to play in a scene with him. She has been such an incredible support in my life, she really is excited for me anytime I book anything OUAT Wiki | In the past, the character of Tiger Lily was the subject of controversy more than once, both because of the stereotypical version of the character seen in Disney's Peter Pan, and also the fact that the character was whitewashed in the 2014 movie Pan. Did you feel the need to finally do justice for a character that was wronged so many times in the past? I was honored to play the role and glad that they were adamant about the role being played with authenticity. I have never liked the name of the tribe and hoped if I got to show more of her backstory, we could rename it in this universe. I also don’t like how much she fawns over Pan in the original book. This is why it was important for me to show her a strong independent woman all grown up. I was very upset by the whitewashing in the film and hope many have learned their lesson by now when it comes to inclusive, diverse, ethical casting OUAT Wiki | How did you prepare for the role of Tiger Lily? I read the book "Tiger Lily" by Jodi Lynn Anderson which is written from TL's perspective. It was a really beautiful poetic interpretation of her thoughts which I enjoyed. Then I spent some time working with my partner, TJ, whom is a director and we worked on the atmosphere of living in the woods and operating with that fun magic curve OUAT Wiki | What was the experience of working on the show? Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. Because it was season 6, I could tell that everyone, cast & crew, had a great rapport with each other and it was a well oiled machine as far as shooting. Being on set was as magical as you would expect, I stepped into my costume and I felt I was in a fantastical world. Using the wand was quite fun, too. Funny story, when I had to hold it up and point it at the Black Fairy, I made a "pew pew" noise under my breath, not really even realizing I was doing it. It's just the fun of an imaginary playground as if you are a child all over again. A producer had to come up to me and tell me that sound effects are made in post so I don't have to make that sound if I don't want to, I blushed! I didn't even know I was doing it, I was just having too much fun playing Jennifer Morrison was so sweet, too! She shook my hand and greeted me with such tenderness and generosity, it's nice to work with leads who are courteous no matter how big or small of a role you play OUAT Wiki | So, for my last two questions, I have two things I’m really curious about. First of all, do you watch lots of TV shows? And if so, what’s your favorite show? I do! Hmmmm my favorite? That's tough. I was a big Game of Thrones watcher. Arya Stark is my all time favorite character! I also am a sucker for the British & Australian Love Island series! I can't help but root for my favorite couples. I was a big Battlestar Galactica fan back in the day so working on SyFy is extra special for me. I recently watched I May Destroy You on HBO and was absolutely floored by the story! I wish it never ended, Michaela Coel is stunning! And about two years ago, I fell in love with Long Lost Family on TLC. The reunions are so incredible. OUAT Wiki | So, before we head to the final question, I'd like to thank you once more for taking part of your day to answer my questions. I had a great time talking to you and am looking forward to watch Resident Alien. Thank you so much for asking. It's been a pleasure talking with you! OUAT Wiki | My final question is: As you know, we’re currently seeing lots of comic book adaptations, mainly from Marvel and DC Comics. Would you like to play a superhero or villain from Marvel or DC, and, if so, who? To be very honest with you, I am not well versed in the Marvel DC world. Although I think Brie Larson is divine so I really enjoyed her as Captain Marvel. I have always had a special place in my heart for the villains. They weren't always villains! Something happened along the way to make them so sad and angry! I'm interested in those stories... so I think playing a villain in that universe would be amazing. I do love a good warrior hero though, too. Maybe a version of SongBird?! She's been both villain and hero at times. Also...She-Hulk could be lots of fun. The villain of all villains closest to my heart is Maleficent but Angelina Jolie is perfection in that role so if I could ever play alongside her as a villainous sidekick that would be so delightful. I also really loved Evil-Lyn from Masters of the Universe back in the day... one of those movies I watched constantly with my brothers... maybe a reprisal role??.. and special sidenote... my director in Resident Alien for a few episodes is Robbie McNeill! What incredible synergy as he played the lead role of Kevin in Masters of the Universe.