Warning: This story contains major spoilers from the season finale ofMarvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Read at your own risk!
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.promised aFallen Agent, but that wasnt the only death in the two-hour season finale.
Ive sat in that chair and Ive dodged two bullets.
Credit: Richard Cartwright/ABC
First they told me Im not dying.
Hey, your character is not dead theres just a really big change, and here it is.
But this time, I walked in, and they closed the door.
There was a huge silence.
They gave me the nod, because thats the first question I had.
So, why am I here?
And they were answering that with their silence, really.
It was a very emotional half an hour in the room.
But everybody here is really respectful with those changes.
Everyone was there, the big executive producers, and they handled it very well.
I kind of knew once I turned that evil that I couldnt stay there forever.
I guess we dont have to worry about that now.
How are you feeling right now in the midst of shooting your final scenes?
There are so many emotions.
This is not how I wanted to end the day.
Its this beautiful moment.
We wanted to end on that.
This is a fight thats three years in the making.
Its Skye vs. Ward vs. Hive vs. Daisy.
Its all of this crazy stuff.
That dude is legit, and his camera work is incredibly special.
Im loving every second of working with him.
Are you happy that you got to at least explore another facet of this character?
I saw it as almost a reinvention.
Ive gotten to play three remarkably different characters in this show.
Thats an incredible opportunity as an actor.
If I was on a show about lawyers or doctors, I dont think Id get those opportunities.
Instead, every season, Ive more or less gotten to play a different character.
Little did I know they had all of this stuff up their sleeve.
Its an incredible opportunity.
Thats how I saw it.
It wasnt, Oh shoot, here we go again.
Thats an honor, really.
Ive never wanted to take that for granted.
Because youve gotten to explore so many different sides of this character, are you ready to say goodbye?
It was really hard for me to say goodbye to Ward.
Right now, Im saying goodbye to the cast and crew.
I love Hive, but I got to play Ward for longer.
Hes closer to me.
Thats definitely a character.
Ward, I feel like, was definitely closer to who I am.
It was very difficult.
There is this relationship there that, in some ways, parallels what SkyeWard had.
Its been a special thing to subvert that as well.
Whats been the hardest part about letting go?
Its saying goodbye to my family.
These guys took me when I didnt really have a ton on my resume.
I had a ton of theater training, but that doesnt always translate to TV and film.
I remember Clark, during the pilot, was showing me the ropes.
He was explaining shots.
Thats at the top of the scene.
And we come in closer.
Wait for the close-up.
You get more opportunities.
Ive learned so much on the set.
Were all really one big happy family here.
Theres not a lot of drama.
From what I understand, that doesnt always happen with every other show.
Weve been told from the very beginning that this was a very special show.
They have a No asshole policy that is strictly enforced.
Its hard to say goodbye to that.
I had 10 months of work throughout the year.
Now I have to go back and audition.
That was my fear when they gave me the part, actually.
As with Ward, too.
Once I killed Rosalind, I thought, Man, his days are numbered.
How much longer can S.H.I.E.L.D.
stand me picking these people off?
You know, stuff happened on Maveth.
All of that was really interesting.
Its interesting, too, to see how people are reacting to that.
Hes always in power.
Ward was always struggling for power.
That was a cool thing, but he was really scrappy.
Hive just assumes his power.
I knew that in playing the big, big bad and not the anti-hero that my days were numbered.
I enjoyed every second of it.
Theyve given me a lot of cool stuff to do, especially in this finale.
It was a beautiful send-off.
There were some moments in there where I got to go crazy, and thats every actors dream.
I really went there, and the director really pushed me.
I want it to be big.
I got to show all of these crazy bits of range.
Its been a lot of fun.
You basically had nine lives on this show and only used a few.
Do you think or hope you could someday come back, maybe for a flashback?
I would be back on this show even if they didnt pay me.
Dont tell them that, but I would simply because I love these people and I love this show.
I love what we have here.
It feels like my second home.
I think that were in a world where nobody ever really dies.
I truly dont think Hive is dead even after a nuclear blast.
Hive could be this thing you just cant get rid of; that would be super fun.
Whats next for you?
As I said, a lot of auditioning.
There is a short film that Im doing with Simon Kassianides, who played Bakshi.
Weve kept in touch.
We crowdfunded it and raised a significant amount of money.
Its a short film that will come out soon.
There are two other films coming out this year that I shot during both the hiatuses on the show.
Both of these are romantic comedies.
Both are completely different sides of me.
I get to be funny, and I dare say charming in some scenes.
Its back to the drawing board after this.
Plus: The cast reacts to those deaths on sethere.
