Elizabeth Henstridge Talks About Making More Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D
Elizabeth Henstridge talks about possibly playing Jemma Simmons again!
This article is more than 2 years old
Before Disney was dedicating blockbuster budget levels of money to Disney+ series like Loki and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — before even Marvel’s Netflix series like Daredevil and Jessica Jones — there was the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU): Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Spinning out of the events of 2012’s Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiered in 2013 on ABC. Along with Clark Gregg as the resurrected Phil Coulson, Ming-Na Wen as the formidable Melinda May, Brett Dalton as the treacherous Grant Ward, and more, was Elizabeth Henstridge as science prodigy Jemma Simmons. In a recent interview, Henstridge reveals she’s up for returning to the role should the call come.
Speaking to Comic Book about her new thriller series for Apple TV+, Suspicion, Elizabeth Henstridge said there would be no reason to not reprise her role as Jemma Simmons. “I loved being on that show,” the actress recalled. “I loved the family, I loved playing Simmons, so yeah, I’d always be open to reprising the role, definitely.”
At the same time, it doesn’t sound like Elizabeth Henstridge is haunted by any dangling narratives from the series. “I’m satisfied with how it ended,” Henstridge said. “I think at the end of season five we thought that that was it and then to get two more seasons was just such a joy… I loved how it ended. I didn’t think that I would ever feel ready to walk away from that show, and I think the writers did a really great job.”
Elizabeth Henstridge and her costars didn’t get to interact with the larger MCU all that much after a certain point. In the beginning, the movies had a major impact on the series. The first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. starts off largely episodic, until the release of 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier — and, more importantly, the “revelations” that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by Hydra — took the series for a dark, compelling turn. Bill Paxton joins the series as the charismatic villain John Garrett and one of the series regulars, Grant Ward, changes sides.
Actors like Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, and Jaimie Alexander reprised their MCU roles for the show, but there were no Marvel celebrity heavyweights like Chris Hemsworth or Chris Evans making guest appearances or even cameos. The movies never referenced the series. To this day, it’s unclear if any of the superheroes in the original Avengers line-up know that Phil Coulson was resurrected. Whether or not this upset Elizabeth Henstridge, one of her costars made her displeasure clear. At a 2016 Comic Con in Des Moines, Chloe Bennet — who played Daisy on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — blasted Marvel in response to a fan question. “People who make movies for Marvel, why don’t you acknowledge what happens on our show?” Bennet said. “Why don’t you guys go ask them that? ‘Cause they don’t seem to care!” She went on to express frustration over any big guest appearances by characters like Captain American and Black Widow.
While Elizabeth Henstridge didn’t cop to any reappearances as Jemma Simmons currently being in the cards, if Spider-Man: No Way Home has taught us nothing, it’s that — when it comes to Marvel character revivals — we can’t necessarily trust any Marvel actors, past or present. Secret Invasion does promise to be a pretty S.H.I.E.L.D.-centric Disney+ series after all? Who knows? Maybe we’ll be seeing Henstridge sooner rather than later,
