'Once Upon a Time' Season 5: Michael Raymond-James 'sneaked' into Vancouver to film a scene

The producers reportedly wanted to keep the news about the return of Michael Raymond-James in “Once Upon a Time” Season 5 a secret. The actor is said to have “sneaked” into Vancouver to film his scenes.

According to a report by TV Line, Raymond-James travelled with a group “incognito” after he got off the plane at Vancouver. Instead of staying at a regular hotel, like most other actors do, the actor decided to stay with a few friends outside the city.

The actor is said to have done this because he admires the TV series creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis. His decision helped him to evade paparazzi, who generally check hotels to see which actors are staying there.

Raymond-James will be reprising his role as Neal Cassidy. His scenes were reportedly filmed indoors on a soundstage. Pictures of outdoor shoots have leaked online, but the producers managed to keep Raymond-James’ return a secret by filming indoors.

It is not clear how Neal will be coming back in “Once Upon a Time” Season 5. The main plot of the next part of the season revolves around the heroes travelling to the underworld. “I think that it would be very disappointing for [Emma] to go down there and not have somebody talk about Neal” Kitsis said.

According to a report by Entertainment Weekly, the souls in the underworld are of those who are holding on to past grudges and have unfinished business on earth. Captain Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) is expected to be there because he had channeled all the darkness into him. Jennifer Morrison (Emma) expressed her doubts about finding Neal in the underworld.

“ As far as I understand, Hades only has people that have unresolved issues. Neal died pretty resolved. He died a hero, he died knowing why he was dying and making that choice, and that didn’t involve taking on the Darkness,” Morrison said.

Apart from coming back as a soul in the underworld in “Once Upon a Time” Season 5, there is also the possibility that Neal will be seen in a flashback scene. Fans of the franchise are eagerly waiting for the reunion of Emma and Neal in the next part of the season.