Marvel
Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons on ABC's “Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
The celeb lineup at Madison’s second Wizard World comic convention, running April 8-10 at Alliant Energy Center, is pretty Doctor Who-centric: Headliners include David Tennant and Alex Kingston. But the Marvel TV universe gets some strong representation, too, with Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and the Purple Man (Tennant again!) on hand. Isthmus recently had a chance to talk with Elizabeth Henstridge, who plays the suddenly badass scientist Jemma Simmons on ABC series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
We say “suddenly” because Simmons didn’t start out that way when the show debuted two years ago. In some ways, the character’s arc has mirrored that of the series. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. struggled to find its footing as a show about non-super-powered secret agents in a super-powered world. But now that Simmons has survived a stint in an alternate dimension where she was stalked by a murderous Inhuman (played by Brett Dalton, who’ll join Henstridge for a panel session at Wizard World on April 9), she has become more than a mousy brainiac — she’s a deeper and more interesting character.
“We had a huge challenge to make the first live-action TV show based in the Marvel Universe,” says Henstridge, speaking by phone. “Everyone understood what we were doing — it wasn’t going to be a Marvel movie every week. It took a while for everything to fall into place, but we were able to come into our own a little bit more.”
The Scottish actress has appreciated the opportunity to sink her teeth into a strong(er) female character.
“She’s intelligent and confident, but she wasn’t that brave on her own,” says Henstridge. “She’s had to become more forceful, look after herself. The writers haven’t made her this superhero, but she’s more willing to give it a try when she has to. It’s a new progression, and it’s more authentic.”
Unlike a sizable and vocal chunk of the show’s fan base, Henstridge is not particularly bothered that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t more closely tied to the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although it’s true that the show’s plot and character development jumped into overdrive after the revelation that the evil Hydra had infiltrated the upper reaches of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, she knows that’s not a repeatable phenomenon.
“We shoot 10 months out of the year,” Henstridge explains. “To try to write to a movie release date is too difficult. For us, it’s more about the organic storytelling. We have a stronger show because we’re not having to tie everything to the movies. And we get to know more about the Inhumans.”
You might expect that Henstridge has been deluged by adoring male fans and marriage proposals at the various Wizard World events she’s attended — she admits that “it can be overwhelming” — but it’s actually a different group of fans that strikes the big chord with her.
“The signed pics of Simmons were really popular with younger girls,” she says. “But they wanted the one of her in her geeky science outfit.”
As someone who was once the lone girl in her physics class, that sits just fine with her: “It’s a nice little moment I get.”
Henstridge is part of a “Choosing Sides: Hydra or S.H.I.E.L.D.” panel at Wizard World on Saturday, April 9, at 3 pm. She’s also on the paid photo-op schedule: 12:30 pm on Saturday, April 9, and 1:40 pm on Sunday, April 10.
