How ‘The Hunting Party’ Finally Turned ’Once Upon a Time’s Josh Dallas Into a Proper Villain

In Episode 8 of Season 2 of the NBC series The Hunting Party, Bex (Melissa Roxburgh) and the team were on the hunt for Elliot Carr (guest star Josh Dallas), a serial killer who used the skin from his victims to perfect his work as a luxury shoemaker. After intense therapy that was much closer to torture, Elliot’s guilt drove him to find a new method for his art as he tried to make amends. At the same time, Shane (Josh McKenzie) is trying to find a relationship with Lazarus (Kari Matchett) now that he knows she’s his mother while Bex wonders what kind of affect this will all have on him.

During this interview with Collider, Manifest co-stars Roxburgh and Dallas, who got to reunite for this episode of The Hunting Party, discussed how they were finally able to make that happen, why Dallas was a good match to play Elliot Carr, why Dallas’ wife Ginnifer Goodwin would also make a great serial killer on the series, digging into the complexities of such a tortured Pit escapee, getting strapped down to a chair for his birthday, and how everything will come to a head in the finale. They also talk about how there could still be life in possible Manifest stories, and which character Roxburgh would want to play if there was ever a Once Upon a Time reboot.

Collider: I am still creeped out by this episode, so thank you for the nightmares.

JOSH DALLAS: I think that’s ultimately the goal.

MELISSA ROXBURGH: You’re going to be barefoot from here on out.

I knew there was a reason I liked wearing flip-flops.

DALLAS: [Laughs]

Did you guys try to make this happen during Season 1? Did all the stars just align this season? How did this happen now?

DALLAS: I have been hounding Melissa Roxburgh, since the day she premiered this show, that I wanted to be on this show. I love it, and I love her on it. I’m so excited that I got to be part of it.

ROXBURGH: Yeah. I’ve also been on my end, trying to get him on the show for forever. Obviously, Josh is very busy. He just did a massive press tour for Zootopia 2, which everyone should see and check out. Finally, the schedules aligned, and he came to freezing cold New York City to work together again. I’m just very happy.

Melissa Roxburgh Knew ‘The Hunting Party’ Had the Perfect Character To Turn Prince Charming Into a Villain

“The fact that he did this episode was perfect.”

Melissa, when this character came up, did you know this was the character Josh Dallas would be playing or did you read it and go, “Oh, I think he would be great for a guy that makes shoes out of skin”?

DALLAS: [Laughs]

ROXBURGH: I was like, “That seems like Josh.” We know Josh Dallas as Prince Charming and Ben Stone. We know him as this wholesome, good guy. That’s part of why I wanted him on the show. I was like, “You’ve got to switch it up, man. You’ve got to play the bad guy.” There was one other one that I thought he might be good for, but the fact that he did this episode was perfect. Josh is a very refined man, and I think that this character has a lot of refinement in his murders. He does still try to come from a good place, it just got really messed up along the way. Elliot Carr, unlike some of the other killers, started out good. And then, life hit him in the face and things went sideways, but he still tries. It’s just misaligned intention.

Josh, for the same reason, I actually think it would also be super fun to see your wife, Ginnifer Goodwin, on the show. It would be so much fun to see her do an episode. Can you make that happen?

DALLAS: It would be incredible to see her as a serial killer. Are you kidding? That would be so great. Next season!

ROXBURGH: Honestly, that’s what makes Josh more menacing in the episode. He is nice, which almost makes it harder to understand. You’re like, “Wait, this person kills people too?” It’s creepier because it comes across good. Josh plays an amazing serial killer. I love him in this episode. I cannot wait for people to see this whole other side of Prince Charming and Ben Stone.

Elliot Carr Is Not the Typical Pit Escapee in ‘The Hunting Party’ Season 2

“It will make the audience empathize with him.”

The thing with these Pit escapees is that we do get to learn about who they are, as what they did unfolds in each episode. Josh, what did you find most interesting about this guy? Because there is room to get into his psychology a bit, what did you find most interesting to explore with him?

DALLAS: What I found most interesting was that he wasn’t just imprisoned in the Pit, he was completely reformatted through a series of therapy – let’s call it that –that he went through. When he came out, he was psychologically changed and different. He had this need for remorse, as he saw it, which is not the kind of remorse that we would all think of. It’s this really warped version of it. He still had his obsession. He had his obsession with craft, with power, with domination, and with ritual, but it was changed slightly because of the Pit. I found that to be the most interesting part of going in and playing this character. It was this warped sense of morality that he had when he came out, and he really thought that by doing what he’s doing now, as we find him, it’s a way of apologizing. He felt that that was right and true in his brain. That was the most amazing thing about how they wrote this part.

ROXBURGH: Bex does the whole breakdown of how they got to where they are now. In this episode specifically, it’s nature versus nurture. Some are nature and some are nurture, but in the case of Elliot, it’s very much a nurture thing. It will make the audience empathize with him, but then also root against him. I think that’s super interesting for audience members because they don’t know how to feel, and they’re along for the ride with us. We serve as the vehicle to these killers, and you’re watching this killer try to morph and change and understand things differently. Josh does an amazing job of those psychological changes.

DALLAS: It was great just being able to play a guy whose moral code and moral center is just so askew and so messed up. But the best thing, really, was being back on set with Melissa.

Josh, what was it like for you to physically go through some of this? Being strapped to a chair and having the mouth restraint strapped on, none of that seems particularly fun to experience. Yes, you’re acting, but your body doesn’t differentiate from what’s happening to you physically. What was that like to put yourself through?

DALLAS: It was really tiring and sweaty. In fact, all of that stuff that we did in the Pit – being strapped in and putting the mouth gag in – that was all my last day. They waited until the very last day when they could really [put me through it].

ROXBURGH: It was also his birthday.

DALLAS: It was my birthday! That’s right!

ROXBURGH: They strapped him down on his birthday. Happy Birthday, Josh!

DALLAS: I spent my 47th birthday being tortured on a set. Honestly, I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.

ROXBURGH: It was funny because he was sitting there in this chair, gagged and bound. And then, suddenly we presented him with cupcakes.

DALLAS: They had cupcakes and cake. They all sang “Happy Birthday.” And then, they were like, “Okay, gag back in. Let’s go. Action!”

ROXBURGH: It was beautiful.

At least you’ll never forget that birthday.

DALLAS: I will never forget that birthday!

Josh Dallas Believes There Are Still Stories To Be Explored in the World of ‘Manifest’

“For those particular characters, absolutely.”

Josh, back when Manifest ended, you had said that you thought there was sequel or spin-off potential. Since no series seems to truly be over these days, do you think there’s still something interesting there that could be explored? Would you guys want to be a part of something like that, if Manifest ever came back around in some form?

DALLAS: Yes, absolutely, I think there’s stuff still to be explored in that story. For those particular characters, absolutely. I also think it gives a big opportunity for other stories within the same world to be explored in a really exciting way that I think would really please our existing Manifest fans and new ones coming into it.

ROXBURGH: People are sick of us.

DALLAS: [Laughs]

To go even further back, if there ever was a reboot of Once Upon a Time, what character do you think Melissa Roxburgh could play on the show?

DALLAS: Some badass princess, for sure, coming in with a whole arsenal of weapons. Maybe even some magic.

ROXBURGH: A female Robin Hood, maybe. I don’t know if you’ve had a Robin Hood.

DALLAS: We had a Robin Hood, but not a female Robin Hood.

Fans of ‘The Hunting Party’ Should Stay Tuned for the Season 2 Finale

“Everyone is going to be really excited.”

Melissa, along with tracking down and recapturing all the Pit escapees, you also have this ongoing storyline of what Lazarus is up to and with Shane now knowing she’s a mother. How does Bex feel about all of that? Is that going to continue to provide tension between Bex and Shane, or will it bring them closer together?

ROXBURGH: Colonel Lazarus is in charge of us, but not a great person. We’ve found out that it’s Shane’s mom, so is he a serial killer? Is he not a serial killer? Bex and the team have been a bit confused about what to do with the situation because they didn’t know whether to tell him or not. By the end of Season 2, it all comes to a head. Essentially, he’s got to make a choice. He does know, and it doesn’t go great. Bex and Shane have this will-they-or-won’t-they going on, so Bex is super protective of him. But also, she wonders if that could destroy him or break him. She lets things play out for a little bit, but eventually stuff hits the fan. He’s got to make a choice. It provides some very interesting dynamics in the show. Everyone is going to be really excited about the finale and how it all comes to a head.

The Hunting Party airs on NBC and is available to stream on Peacock.