Lana Parrilla Talks Regina’s Growth In ‘Once Upon A Time’ & Her First Ball!

Regina has faced many challenges and battled grave danger in her journey from Evil Queen to hero on “Once Upon a Time.”

But, on Sunday night, Lana Parrilla’s character will take on a challenge of a different kind – her first ball.

“This is Regina’s first ball,” Lana told Access Hollywood, of the event happening in Season 5’s second episode — “The Price.” “We’ve never seen Regina enjoy a ball. We’ve seen all of our princesses and… even Emma has danced at a ball, but Regina never has, and so [the writers] wanted to give that to her.”

PHOTOS: ‘Once Upon A Time’ Season 5, Episode 2: Scenes From ‘The Price’

Lana said the grand affair is “extremely nerve-wracking” for her character. Despite being raised in an environment where such events occur regularly, “she’s never had the opportunity” to really take part, the actress said.

“There’s a scene between Regina and Mary Margaret and Mary Margaret says, ‘What about all the parties that we used to have?’ And [Regina says], ‘Yeah, your father danced with you all the time. He chose to dance with you over me,’ and Regina pretty much sat in a corner watching everyone else have a grand old time and Regina’s never danced at a ball. So, we’re going to see her first experience in this and who actually teaches her the moves,” Lana continued. “It’s really light-hearted. She doesn’t know how to dance, and David — Prince Charming — is going to show her how to dance, and so there’s a really sweet scene between David, Regina and Mary Margaret.”

Check out this Sunday’s ep of #OnceUponATime Regina goes to her 1st ball! An unexpected teacher shows her the moves! pic.twitter.com/FMA9Hb8r4l

— Lana Parrilla (@LanaParrilla) September 30, 2015

Season 5 is quickly introducing new challenges for Lana’s wonderfully layered character, Regina. Beyond her first ball (in Camelot), over in Storybrooke, she’s having to step up and lead now that Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) has embraced the mantle of the Dark One. In a sneak peek from Sunday’s episode, “The Price,” Regina confides in Robin (Sean Maguire) after Emma tells her no one believes she can protect the town.

WATCH: ‘Once Upon A Time’: Regina & Robin Exclusive Sneak Peek

From her first ball, to having to lead Storybooke in a new way (so unlike how she did as Mayor in Season 1) now that Emma has embraced being the Dark One, is fascinating fairy tale character development. Access had to ask Lana if, in some ways, playing Regina this season feels like playing a new character because of all the things Regina is having to go through.

“Yes, it does actually. It feels very new, with elements of her old self – which, we love her old self because it’s so fun. But this is the new and improved, I guess, Regina, in the sense that she is making the right choices to be a better person and to be the hero, which is really new for her and uncomfortable,” Lana said. “I don’t think she necessarily like, fantasizes about being this hero and saving everyone. I think it’s just circumstances have led her there, and she’s been making the right choices because ultimately, they feel better. The right choices actually feel better. … She experiences better, more positive results. This character now – I love where she’s at, but she still hasn’t lost her sass and she still hasn’t lost the darkness. It just comes out when needed.”

READ: ‘Once Upon A Time’ Season 5 Premiere Postmortem: Producers On What’s Next

Lana said it feels like Regina is “in control now.”

“Whereas before, I felt like it was so impulsive,” Lana continued. “She was just so reactive and now, she’s much more sort of contemplative and like sits there and thinks things through before she acts upon them. So she’s — I would say — more mature, and a bit wiser than she was before.”

Regina made choices throughout her journey that have paved the path to her becoming a hero, and as she’s made changes, she’s found acceptance, support and love from characters she was, in previous seasons, at odds with. And she continues to grow in an environment where characters are supporting her and loving her in ways she always deserved to be, but didn’t get from her mother, Cora.

“She hasn’t experienced like, ‘healthy love.’ The love that she experienced with her mother was very controlling and possessive and it was manipulative. There was always an agenda when it came to Cora. It wasn’t a pure love – unconditional love. And with her father, she had a bit of that, but her father was also very weak,” Lana said. “He didn’t know how to protect her, he didn’t stand up to her mother. He kind of was like a bystander and so she lost all respect for him. So she’s never really had the ideal parental guidance that she so deserved and the sort of like family love and bond and trust – she’s never had that before, and she has that with Robin, with Henry, with Emma, Mary Margaret and David. And as uncomfortable as that’s been for her to receive and accept, it’s also — it’s very comforting… it feels good. I mean, it’s what she wants and I think she didn’t even know it until she started experiencing it.”

Regina’s true love Robin will find himself in a very sticky situation in Sunday’s episode. After their heart-to-heart in our sneak peek clip, things ended on one heck of a cliffhanger when some sort of shadow form came down and snatched Robin away. While viewers wait to find out more about the situation in Sunday night’s “Once Upon a Time,” Lana shared a few hints about the mysterious shadow creature.

“She is a demon of some kind,” Lana said. “She is this sort of demonic, female creature, who comes and snags Robin away from us all and now we have to go find him and save him. And there’s a reason why she wants him.”

“Once Upon a Time” continues Sunday night at 8/7c on ABC.

— Jolie Lash