What role did Sweet Magnolias star JoAnna Garcia Swisher play in Once Upon a Time? Character explored, in-depth

Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher in the lead role of Maddie Townsend, who is best friends with Dana Sue Sullivan and Helen Decatur. Maddie has been at the forefront of the narrative since the very first season of the romantic drama, as her separation from her husband takes center stage.

Meanwhile, Swisher was already an established actress, who appeared in several shows and films before Sweet Magnolias. One of her most memorable performances was in the ABC fantasy adventure drama Once Upon a Time.

JoAnna Garcia Swisher played Ariel in Once Upon a Time. Like the eponymous Disney princess, Ariel is a mermaid who can use a magical bracelet to turn into a human. Swisher appeared in seven episodes of the series and left the audience impressed with her performance.

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Sweet Magnolias star JoAnna Garcia Swisher played Ariel in Once Upon a Time

JoAnna Garcia Swisher joined Once Upon a Time as Ariel in the third season. Her story takes place in the fantastical Neverland. She saves Snow White from drowning when the latter jumps off a cliff to escape the Evil Queen’s guards.

The two become friends, and Snow encourages Ariel to see Eric, the prince she fell in love with after saving him from a shipwreck. Snow tells her to attend a royal ball where Eric must be present.

Every year, a legend says mermaids can walk on land for twelve hours when the tide is high. Using this opportunity, Ariel goes to the ball, and Eric invites her to travel the world with him. Ariel feels torn between staying with Eric on land or returning to the sea.

She calls the witch Ursula for help, unaware that the Evil Queen is pretending to be her. The Queen tricks Ariel by giving her a magic bracelet that will let her stay human if someone else becomes a mermaid. Ariel puts the bracelet on Snow so she can stay human.

When the Queen shows up and threatens them, Ariel bravely stabs her with a fork and escapes with Snow while removing her bracelet. While the Queen still tries to create problems between him and Eric by stealing her voice, Ariel ultimately unites with the prince and the two live happily on Hangman’s Island.

At the time of her introduction in Once Upon a Time, JoAnna Garcia Swisher had an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where she revealed playing a Disney princess was a dream come true for her. She said:

“The idea of doing this has been in my life for a while, so I was happy when they figured out a way for Ariel to come into the story that I was able to do this. To be able to play a beloved Disney princess has been a dream come true.”

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JoAnna Garcia Swisher’s role in Sweet Magnolias

Two years after the conclusion of Once Upon a Time, JoAnna Garcia Swisher joined Sweet Magnolias as Maddie, a single mother of three children living in the quaint town of Serenity, South Carolina.

Maddie faces a tough time in her life as she goes through a divorce from her husband. She decides to get back to work and starts looking for opportunities. Meanwhile, she is supported by her childhood best friends, Dana Sue and Helen.

Talking about what she enjoys the most about working on Sweet Magnolias, Swisher said there is a lot of warmth in the show that gives it a personal touch. She stated in an interview with Popternative:

“We’re not trying to do anything more than [just give] you a slice of life. I think there’s something really comforting about that, at least for me as an actor being on the show, as a human working on the show for as long as I have. We’ve all experienced so many things personally. There’s just a lot of warmth and heart surrounding it.”

Sweet Magnolias is available to watch on Netflix, while Once Upon a Time is streaming on Disney+.