Once Upon a Time star Robert Carlyle spoke with Hypable about playing Rumpelstiltskin and the future of this character.

Robert Carlyle plays one of Once Upon a Time’s most diverse characters. You never know if you can trust Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold and often times you want to yell at him. But for Carlyle the character is magic.

“Playing Rumpelstiltskin is gold dust for an actor,” he tells us. “He isn’t just 2 characters but about 5. The early, the one when he just became the dark one, the evil dark one which is kind of fun, and then the many versions of Gold.”

When asked about which version of Rumpelstiltskin was his favorite to play, he responded with a trademark Rumpel hand gesture and said, “I like the one who has just became the dark one because he is struggling with himself. He doesn’t really know where he is or what he can do. I think that is that guy probably has the most mileage.”

For Carlyle, one of the best parts of being on Once Upon a Time is that it is something his children can watch. “The great thing about this show is that it plays across the board; my six year old loves it as much as my mother-in-law.”

When it comes to talking about last season’s big reveal about Henry being the death of Rumpelstiltskin, Carlyle had plenty to say. “I think at the beginning he kind of rejects it, and I think Henry was in danger for a few episodes. I think he would have killed him. But as it progressed, of course, he realizes who this kid is and it is too much for even him to take in.”

What about the future of Rumpelstiltskin? Said Carlyle, “As the season ends, he thinks Baelfire is dead and what can he do to honor the memory of his son. He can find Baelfire’s son. He is on a suicide mission and he may well die.”

The cast has only seen two scripts for season 3, so no one knows the future, but it will be interesting to watch Rumpelstiltskin face down Peter Pan and the inhabitants of Neverland.