It was announced in the early May that the actress Jennifer Morrison, who has been playing Emma Swan for the past 6 years, will not be coming back as a series regular in the upcoming season 7. She refused the invitation from the show creators, Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, to return the next season; thus, not renewing her contract to be part of the fairy tale dream land (or, as you all know it, Storybrooke).
Why is Jennifer Morrison leaving the show?
In an interview with Deadline Hollywood, Jennifer Morrison stated the various reasons, as why she decided to end her "Once Upon a TIME" career after 6 long seasons of being a main character.
Although she will be returning for the premiere episode of the next season 7, things will definitely be significantly altered, due to her abrupt absence. Jennifer Morrison has participated in other famous shows such as "How I Met Your Mother" and on "House", and all these hectic schedules have taken a toll on her. The collective 13 years on her impressive resume have been an amazing gift; however she is need of a break. She is also focusing on transitioning on more directing, but mostly this time off is being taken for her family's sake.
At that time in her life, Jennifer Morrison stated that she wants to be home with her family and friends, and to be more available to other creative opportunities.
After the wrap of Season 6 of "Once Upon a Time", whose filming was finished a month before the finale, Jennifer Morrison undertook some roles in the off-Brodway production of "The End of Longing". She will be co-staring with Mathew Perry and feature-directing the play.
What is next for the actress?
The story line of Emma Swan and Captain Hook, in the opinion of the actress, had come to an amazing happy ending (a new and hopeful chapter in their lives); thus she wanted to leave it at that.
It felt that it was time for her to go away and let the story end in the best and breath-taking way possible. This decision was made a while ago from the actress, however it was announced to the public officially, only after the release of the musical episode (the one where Emma and Hook FINALLY tied the knot).
This decision was kept secret carefully by the show runners, since they did not want to spoil the experience of the fans, and the happy ending for the legendary couple that they were looking forward to.
If it was up to her she would have kept the news to a small circle for a little longer (at least up to the finale), but such news is difficult to keep undercover for a long time. For the future she only promised one episode, and at this time, she cannot agree to anything more. However, as "Once Upon a Time" fans know all too well, anything is possible in Storybrooke.
