Sharon Eberson talks to Clark Gregg about herding a group of superheroes.
On a San Diego stage with a line-up of superheroes of the Hollywood and comic-book variety, a particularly happy Clark Gregg stood between Robert Downey jun and Samuel L. Jackson after he had just learned he would be among the all-star cast of The Avengers.
"I met Joss [director Joss Whedon] for the first time backstage at the Thor panel at Comic-Con 2010, and before we went onstage, he said, 'I'm going to introduce you as being in The Avengers movie.' I loved him right away for hiring me. I also was already a fan, and to spend time with him as I've gotten to [while filming], I couldn't be more impressed."
Being Special Agent Phil Coulson, of Shield, has its perks.
While it's good to be Iron Man, Thor, Captain America or any of the other Avengers of the Marvel universe, it's also a blast to be the man who keeps them in line - or at least tries to.
Gregg began playing Coulson as part of the Iron Man films, and in Thor he led a mission to secure the area where the Norse god and his magical hammer had fallen to Earth. A Man in Black with a quick wit, the character of Coulson was created specifically for the movie Iron Man and has become an integral link between Marvel movies as they build towards Avengers, when the agent has to cope with a roomful of egos fuelled by superpowers.
"I wouldn't rule out any of the jobs you might associate with the guy who wrangles all the rock stars backstage at Lollapalooza," Gregg said.
"Anything you think that guy does, up to and including green M&Ms, that's probably going to be something Coulson has to do to keep these superheroes in line."
As Agent Coulson, Gregg's role has grown in prominence from the time he was first recruited by Iron Man director Jon Favreau.
"I feel like I'm lucky to be there.
"It was a little part and they kept adding more and more stuff.
"Luckily, he's not always the straight man; luckily, they give him some fantastic lines to say, like [in Iron Man 2]: 'I'm going to Tase you and watch Supernanny while you drool all over the carpet.' That's the best straight line I've ever gotten," Gregg said.
The words that make up Shield - strategic homeland intervention, enforcement and logistics division - come easily to him.
He recalled that during the first screenings of Iron Man, when Coulson revealed he was a member of the force, "You could hear the screams" from fans who understood the character's purpose.
Director Kenneth Branagh and a long list of writers expanded on that role in Thor. Working with the actor-director best known for his Shakespeare films "felt like old Hollywood to me because he is such a gentleman and very funny", Gregg said.
The challenge of pulling The Avengers together for director-writer Whedon is similar to Coulson's dilemma in making sure a bunch of superheroes work together to keep the bad guys in check. In other words, how do you make a cohesive story with so many classic comic-book characters and keep everyone (actors and audiences) happy?
As a writer-director himself, Gregg admires how Whedon wove together the script that arrived "When an armoured car pulled up to our house".
He said his wife, actress and US Dancing With the Stars champ Jennifer Grey, wondered what was going on as he exclaimed over and over while he read.
He still, uh, marvels that he's a part of Marvel's blockbuster-film franchise, and when he speaks of it, the word "lucky" keeps coming up.
"To move through all of these different film-makers, all of whom I admire, and to watch them reveal and add new dimensions and layers to Coulson, who he is, who Shield is, to be involved in that company of people is one of the things I'll always feel lucky about."
• The Avengers is being released in cinemas on Thursday.
