This article is about an alternate iteration. For the other Cinderella, see here.
Ella "Cinderella" Mills is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. In Hyperion Heights, she is known as Jacinda Vidrio. She is portrayed by Dania Ramirez. Her gallery is here.
Biography
Background
After her mother Cecelia suddenly disappears from their lives, Ella's stepfather Marcus - the only father figure she ever knew - remarries his first wife Lady Tremaine, who has served as a maid to their manor since resurfacing after being missing for six years. It is not long after that tragedy strikes the family again, and while accompanying her stepsisters Anastasia and Drizella one winter afternoon, ice gives way beneath Ella and Anastasia, sucking them both down towards a watery grave. Marcus dives in after them, but surfaces with only one girl - Ella. Following Anastasia's death, which Ella blames herself for, Lady Tremaine has her stepfather killed by the royal family. Ella is then treated like a slave by her stepfamily, who derisively call her "Cinderella".
On the eve of a royal ball, Cinderella is given a horse and carriage to attend the Prince's royal ball by her fairy godmother. On her way to the ball, however, she nearly collides with Henry's motorcycle, causing her to crash. Upon meeting Henry, Cinderella knocks him out and steals his motorcycle, taking that to the ball instead. There, she meets the Prince, although she reveals her intentions are to kill him for ruining her life. However, when she has the chance, Cinderella cannot bring herself to kill him, so Lady Tremaine kills him instead and frames Cinderella for the murder. With Henry's help, Cinderella manages to flee the ball before midnight, although in her hurry she leaves behind one of her glass slippers, which Henry finds.
Cinderella is rescued from royal guards' ambush by Tiana, the leader of the resistance against Tremaine and the royals, and is welcomed back to their camp, where she rejoins Henry and his family. Upon later confronting her stepmother, Cinderella is tempted to give Lady Tremaine what she wants - which is Henry's heart - but ultimately refuses to do so. After talking with Henry's mother Roni, Cinderella sheds her nickname, derisively given by her stepfamily, and elects to just be known as Jacinda from now on. When Alice runs away, Jacinda and Henry follow her to Wonderland, where Jacinda realizes that her mother Cecilia ran away to keep her loved ones safe from the Curse of the Poisoned Heart. In Wonderland,Ivy attempts to use this curse on Henry, but Jacinda saves Henry, and the two share a kiss. Eventually, they have a daughter named Lucy together. Eight years later, however, a Dark Curse hits and takes them all away to a land without magic.
Season 7
In Hyperion Heights, Jacinda quits her job at Mr. Cluck's Chicken Shack, much to Sabine's disapproval, since the job was partly paying for their rent. An older Henry is reunited with his daughter Lucy, whom he does not remember because of a curse. In hopes of breaking it, Lucy leads him to her neighborhood of Hyperion Heights, home to many other cursed fairytale characters including Jacinda, Lucy's down-on-her-luck single mother who is in a contentious relationship with her powerful stepmother Victoria. Others include Roni, a bar owner who is struggling with having to sell her establishment to Victoria, and Rogers, a cop who gets promoted to a detective and is introduced to his new partner, Weaver.When Jacinda's daughter Lucy runs away, Victoria - Jacinda's stepmother - plans to take sole custody over Lucy, permanently. Jacinda tries to flee Seattle with Lucy and start anew, but they end up staying in Hyperion Heights, and Jacinda gets her job back. Jacinda finds out that she cannot afford to attend Lucy's ballet performance, although she manages to be there as one of the caterers.
When Victoria threatens to dig up Lucy's beloved community gardens, Jacinda rallies against her and manages to get a petition with one-hundred signatures. She is tempted to give up by Victoria, who offers Jacinda a home with Lucy in one of the proposed condos that would replace the gardens, but Jacinda refuses her and manages to save the gardens. On Halloween, Jacinda's stepsister Ivy allows her to spend the night trick-or-treating with Lucy. Jacinda and Sabine eventually start a business selling beignets, and Henry finds the courage to ask Jacinda out on a date. However, things between Henry and Jacinda grow complicated when Jacinda's former boyfriend - and supposed father of Lucy - Nick Branson returns to Jacinda's life. When Lucy falls unconscious, Jacinda races her to the hospital, where she worries about her daughter's wellbeing. After Lucy recovers, Jacinda invites Henry over. They almost kiss, until Lucy interrupts them, having learned that Henry's heart is poisoned. After Victoria's death, Jacinda is visited by Ivy who seeks comfort from her stepsister, and they share a hug.
Trivia
- This Cinderella is a different iteration of Cinderella from the classic fairytale Cinderella.
Appearances
- S7, E01: "Hyperion Heights"
- S7, E02: "A Pirate's Life"
- S7, E03: "The Garden of Forking Paths"
- S7, E04: "Beauty"
- S7, E05: "Greenbacks"
- S7, E06: "Wake Up Call"
- S7, E07: "Eloise Gardener"
- S7, E08: "Pretty in Blue"
- S7, E09: "One Little Tear"
- S7, E10: "The Eighth Witch"
- S7, E11: "Secret Garden"
- S7, E12: "A Taste of the Heights"
- S7, E13: "Knightfall"
- S7, E14: "The Girl in the Tower" (flashback)
- S7, E15: "Sisterhood"
- S7, E16: "Breadcrumbs"
- S7, E17: "Chosen"
- S7, E18: "The Guardian"
- S7, E19: "Flower Child"
- S7, E20: "Is This Henry Mills?"
- S7, E21: "Homecoming"
- S7, E22: "Leaving Storybrooke"
Books
- Reawakend: Chapter 2