Colin O'Donoghue played Captain Hook on Once Upon a Time, the iconic TV show that put a darker spin on classic fairy tales. O'Donoghue became an instant heartthrob as Hook, quickly becoming a love interest for Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison). Their relationship became a primary source of tension and intrigue in Once Upon a Time, as circumstances tore them apart, and both characters tried to be better for each other. As a performer, O'Donoghue goes through many transformations to get into character and bring the beloved Captain to life.

Captain Hook was featured in some of the Once Upon a Time's best villains had a nuanced and emotional backstory, making it easy for the audience to understand what fueled their actions. However, it wasn't just characterization that drew our eye to Hook.

Once Upon A Time's Colin O'Donoghue Didn't Expect Captain Hook's Heavy Eyeliner

The Actor Wasn't Aware This Would Be A Large Part Of The Character

Wearing makeup and having a signature look is part of being an actor, especially for a fantasy series like Once Upon a Time. However, when the makeup is more dramatic and a little outside of the performer's comfort zone, they might take notice. For O'Donoghue, few of his other roles, before and after, had him wearing as much eyeliner as he did in Once Upon a Time. However, most fans love this part of the character, as it's so interesting and distinct. O'Donoghue stated in an interview with TV Line:

I hadn’t realized there was going to be that much [‘guyliner’], and that it was going to become such a thing,” O’Donoghue said. “I think people are very disappointed when they meet me or see pictures of me without any eyeliner on now. In [Disney+’s] The Right Stuff, I don’t have a beard and I’ve got like a 12-year-old boy haircut, so I think I look pretty different!

While there's nothing wrong with O'Donoghue's look either way, the eyeliner is now synonymous with his take on Captain Hook because it's featured in the series so prominently. In some ways, it's interesting that the show stuck to this choice long-term, as more dramatic makeup is typically reserved for antagonists. However, Once Upon a Time subverted expectations by having him maintain the makeup, allowing Hook to hold onto a key part of himself even as he evolved and became one of the most heroic people in the show.

The "Guyliner" Became An Iconic Part Of Captain Hook's Character On The ABC Show

Seeing O'Donoghue Without This Styling Is Somewhat Shocking For Fans Of OUAT

Unsurprisingly, this makeup choice became an iconic part of his character, signifying how he was a little different from the unerring heroes usually featured in fairy tales. While O'Donoghue would've been able to communicate the many evolutions of Hook that take place throughout the show without the eyeliner, this consistency and familiar look helped maintain audience expectations about who Hook was as a character. It's hard to imagine who he would've been on the series without the help of the makeup team.

Like the other characters who got to have villain arcs in Once Upon a Time, Hook got to have some fun with his role.

One of the other characters who became famous for their appearance in Once Upon a Time was Regina, especially when she was playing The Evil Queen in flashbacks to the Enchanted Forest. Played by Lana Parrilla, Regina got to wear enormous and breathtaking costumes that showed just how intense and over-the-top her character was. Though Hook's styling never reached this level, it still has some similarities. Like the other characters who got to have villain arcs in Once Upon a Time, Hook got to have some fun with his role.

What The Once Upon A Time Star Originally Had In Mind For The Role

He Saw Hook As A More Dramatic Character Before Transforming Into The Character

There have been many iterations of the Captain Hook role, with Dustin Hoffman's work in Hook and Jason Isaac's performance in the 2003 Peter Pan​​​​​​ rising to the top as some of the most recent and influential. However, O'Donoghue's Captain Hook was vastly different from these iterations of the iconic villain. In his interview with TV Line, O'Donoghue talked ing Hoffman's prop hook from the movie for his costume, but ultimately decided against it. The larger-than-life look of Hoffman's character didn't fit into the world of Once Upon a Time​​​​​​.

Though the eyeliner does have a dramatic flair, Once Upon a Time's Hook was a much more down-to-earth and non-traditional take on the flamboyant role. This made it easier for the audience to see him as part of the recurring cast and eventually accept him as part of more realistic plot points that the series centered on. He still had the "bad boy" look and was easily distinguishable from the rest of the cast, but Once Upon a Time managed to balance all these aspects of his character well and make us fall in love with this version of Hook.