'Once Upon a Time' Casts 'Downton Abbey' Favorite, 'Walking Dead' Star
by Shannon Keirnan
“Downton Abbey” fans might not be thrilled to hear that Dan Stevens won’t be returning to the show, but he’s not the only cast member branching out.
Lesley Nicol, who plays the beloved cook Mrs. Patmore on “Downton Abbey” will also be charming audiences when she switches networks and appears on ABC’s “Once Upon a Time.”
No official word yet on who Nicol will be playing, but we know her character is someone with a special connection to Snow White’s family.
Josh Dallas, who plays humble yet darling Prince Charming on the show, tweeted his excitement about her upcoming appearance.
"As a Huge #DowntonAbbey Fan I'm very excited [Lesley Nicol] is coming to #OnceUponaTime!" he announced.
Nicol’s Twitter has fans guessing as well, eager to find out which character she will play… but she’s not quite ready to spill the bean just yet.
“Think servant maybe,” she offered, but denied the possibility of Mrs. Potts from “Beauty and the Beast.”
Joining Nicols will be Sonquea Martin-Green, who fans might recognize from “The Walking Dead,” where she played Sasha, the sister of Tyreese, in the mid-season finale “Made to Suffer.”
Martin-Green will be playing Tamara, although no official announcement yet on what that means. Speculation runs from a Tinkerbell-like character to Princess Tiana, of “The Princess and the Frog.”
Tamara, whoever she is, is supposedly "a charming and likable woman who’s secretly highly ambitious and a fearless leader driven to get what she wants."
Martin-Green will be reoccurring in the show’s second season, and may carry over into the third.