"I'm such a fan girl when it comes to movies, TV and sci-fi, sometimes I can't believe I actually get to be in them."
Rebecca Leigh Mader (born 24 April 1977 in Cambridge, England) is an English actress, best known for her role as Charlotte Lewis on Lost. In 2014 she played the role of Wicked Witch of the West, the main antagonist of the second half of Season 3 on Once Upon a Time. She's also had numerous supporting roles in film and was a model prior to becoming an actress.
She updates her Twitter constantly, and enjoys interacting with fans and is usually a fan of the shows she gets cast on. Her twitter is here: https://twitter.com/bexmader
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Film Roles
- 2006: The Devil Wears Prada as Jocelyn
- 2009: The Men Who Stare at Goats as Debora Wilton
- 2010: The Big Bang as Zooey Wigner
- 2013: Iron Man 3 as a sweatshop agent
Television Roles
- 2003: All My Children as Morgon Gordon
- 2004: Samantha: An American Girl Holiday as Cornelia Edwards
- 2004: One Life to Live as Margaret Cochran
- 2006-2007: Justice as Alden Tuller
- 2008-2009; 2010: Lost as Charlotte Lewis
- 2011: No Ordinary Family as Victoria Morrow
- 2011: Alphas as Griffin
- 2012: Work It as Grace Hudson
- 2012: Fringe as Jessica Holt
- 2014-2018: Once Upon a Time as Zelena/The Wicked Witch of the West
Other Roles
- 2011: Aim High as Miss Walker
- 2022: Moriarty: The Devils Game (2022) as Mary Watson
Tropes
- Ability over Appearance: She was surprised when the creators of Once Upon a Time asked her to keep her natural British accent as Zelena, since the Wicked Witch is traditionally an American character. (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is often called the first American fairy tale).
- Actor-Inspired Element: Zelena from Once Upon a Time was a villain presented as irredeemably evil. But Rebecca and her geeky adorkable nature - and sheer love of being on the show - led to Zelena eventually getting redeemed too.
- Awesome, Dear Boy: She was a huge fan of Once Upon a Time and claims she screamed in public when she was offered a role. She agreed before she even knew which role it was.
- Dye Hard: Naturally red-haired, but alternates between that and blonde.
- Fake American: She plays an American in The Devil Wears Prada, Iron Man 3 and a few other roles. That being said, the fact that she's been able to keep her natural British accent while on two hit shows is pretty impressive.
- Fake Australian: As Charlotte on Lost.
- Friendship on the Set:
- She, Lana Parrilla and Sean Maguire became good friends while filming Once Upon a Time and even started a podcast together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- She described Josh Holloway as "like my brother", and found kissing him on LOST uncomfortable because of it.
- I Was Young and Needed the Money: She had worked as a model before her acting career but she hated being a model, and only did it to break into the acting industry. Though she does poke fun at the L'Oreal commercials she used to do.
- Promoted Fanboy:
- She was a huge fan of Once Upon a Time and had hoped to be asked to play Ariel. She claims she screamed in public when she was offered the part of Zelena.
- She was a huge fan of Meryl Streep and was ecstatic to work with her on The Devil Wears Prada. The day she wrapped, she tentatively went to her trailer and asked for a picture, to which the lady heartwarmingly obliged.
- Star-Making Role: Zelena from Once Upon a Time.
- Those Two Actors: With Emilie de Ravin in Lost and Once Upon a Time.
- What Could Have Been: As stated in a tweet, Mader auditioned for the role of Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones, but didn't get the part.
