Why Ginnifer Goodwin Left Once Upon A Time

While Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) does not have the most conventional relationship with her parents, Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) and Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), it's clear they absolutely adore her. Storybrooke's favorite soulmates are just as enamored by their baby, Prince Neal. This aspect of their characters seems to mirror Dallas and Goodwin's real lives — both actors demonstrate a striking resemblance to their "Once Upon a Time" roles in the way they prioritize their children, Oliver and Hugo.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Goodwin acknowledged she and the father of her children stepped away from Snow White and Prince Charming following Season 6, Episode 22, "The Final Battle." She explained that they did so for the sake of their sons. "Leaving a show was a really tough decision, but one that we spent years making... It involved a lot of discussing child rearing with our showrunners because we really wanted to be spending more time with the kids," said the Snow White actress. "We really needed to start Ollie in school — we had gotten him into a school in Los Angeles. But anyways, we had decided that that was what was best for our family. Though a difficult decision, it was one that we were very confident about."

In the Entertainment Weekly interview, Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas gave their opinions on taking on their "Once Upon a Time" roles again during Season 7, Episode 22, "Leaving Storybrooke," the series finale. Dallas stated that he was happy to have the chance to portray Prince Charming once more. "Saying goodbye to it is bittersweet, but I'm so grateful," said the actor. Goodwin also shared she was surprised by the intensity of her emotions as she recited Snow White's lines during the finale. She explained that she believed she would never cease to have the ability to portray her iconic "Once Upon a Time" character. "I'm definitely mourning the loss. I wish that it could just go on forever and that we always knew that it would be here when we're homesick," said Goodwin. 

The "Once Upon a Time" actress mentioned her tearful reaction to the end of the ABC series during a 2018 interview while promoting the finale. "It's been wild. It's also been a much more emotional couple of days than I expected," said Goodwin. The actress also shared why she believed the show became so beloved. She stated that despite their outlandish storylines, Snow White and her loved ones have very human traits. "For being fairy tale characters, they are a mess," quipped the actress.