Agents of SHIELD: Chloe Bennet On Quake, Secret Warriors & Big Bad Inhumans

Chloe Bennet is ready to take on the next season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. head on, no matter the size of her opponent.She’s come a long way since we first met her character Skye in Season One, and the road to get where we are today was not an easy one.

We had the chance to chat with the newly christened “Daisy Johnson” about the upcoming season, what its like being an Inhuman, her Secret Warriors team and beyond.

So what has it been like for you to grow Daisy as a character these past three seasons, and what has it been like for you growing as an actress?

Chloe: It’s been amazing actually. It feels like I’ve played a couple different characters, I guess, in the past couple of seasons. I feel like she’s grown so much and I really feel like I have too. I definitely am not the same person I was when I started shooting the show. I can say that with complete confidence. I’ve grown so much and I’ve learned an incredible amount in such a short period of time. The TV schedule and being challenged with everything that I’ve been challenged with as an actor, has really changed me and we’ve grown alongside each other. It feels natural too. It doesn’t feel too crazy but it also feels … It’s pretty exciting, and the outfits are awesome.

When we spoke at San Diego, you were a bit trepidatious on going through with the haircut but now that you’ve been living with it for a little while, how does it feel? Do you like having the short hair?

Chloe: There’s definitely days where I don’t like it but … I don’t know, I think it’s just a lot of my confidence apparently was wrapped up in my long hair and when they cut off I was like, “Oh no! What am I? Who am I? I can’t be pretty with short hair.” It’s this weird complex I think I had. Growing up I always had long hair. I had a horrible hair cut when I was in 7th grade, where they cut it into a legitimate mullet, a short boy mullet. I got made fun of so bad, I’ve been scarred ever since. I think that’s always going to happen, obviously we have a great team who handled it all but it was very … It’s been liberating I guess. It’s again, one of the things that about the show that has caused me to grow up a little bit.

And how about that awesome costume you have now?

Chloe: Right? So funny.

I know you had mentioned in an interview that, when doing Quake’s powers you would hold your hands out and obviously make pretend, but it does feel more bad ass now that you’ve got a costume to do it in?

Chloe: Sometimes. Sometimes it does. It feels more bad ass walking around set. There are other times where I’m just like, “Why do all super hero people have these cat suits? It doesn’t make any sense.” They’re so tight and uncomfortable and really hot and very limiting. It’s funny because they logistically make no sense but they look awesome so that’s cool. If I would want to actually go kick ass, I would not want to be wearing a catsuit. In any way.

So you definitely don’t want to go more towards a costume that say J. August Richards has? You’re totally happy with what you have?

Chloe: I’m happy with it for the show, but Chloe in real life, let’s just say in real life I would never want to have that on. There’s these heatwaves coming into LA and we’re like, “Woo,” just dying but it’s pretty funny. It’s like a way to lose weight.

I wanted to circle back on a point you made earlier. You said that it feels like you have been playing a couple different characters and going into Season 3, now you’re someone who everyone on the show has identified as an alien. Daisy has always been a little bit of the fish out of water, in terms of the group; is this even worse than the Skye from season 1, in terms of her distance and difference from the team?

Chloe: It’s definitely more significant of a difference, but a couple things have changed. Everyone on the team is a little bit jaded now with super hero powers, because we’ve seen so much in 3 seasons that it doesn’t feel that different. But that’s what I like so much about it. I really, really like it, that’s one of my favorite parts, it’s one of the things I relate to most about Skye and Daisy is how different she is. If you look at a picture of the group, you can’t tell, but she’s so different and I’ve always felt that way growing up and in my life. I think she was even more of a fish out of water probably in Season 1 because she was so anti-S.H.I.E.L.D. She actually had a different agenda going into S.H.I.E.L.D. First she was forced and then second, she just wanted to know about her parents and that was really what she was doing.

That’s not what everyone else on the team wanted, they wanted to help people and do their job. The job they’d trained for. Whereas Skye went the rogue way and didn’t train for anything and got thrown into situations and learned things in the field. Had a non-traditional training which I feel like, as an actor as well, going to China at 15 and then being thrown onto the show at a really young age, I didn’t take theater classes. I didn’t really do commercials. I got thrown into this crazy Marvel Universe. I feel like I’ve been learning along the way the same way Skye has, Daisy has, and continue to learn.

What about Daisy’s relationship with Coulson at this point? They’ve obviously always been very close. With Daisy being tasked to put together her own team, what does the dynamic between her and Coulson look like as we head into Season 3?

Chloe: I feel like there’s definitely been a little bit of a shift. She is much more grown up and I think there’s obviously still that father-figure in him but I think there’s a lot more trust and mutual respect as colleagues that there hasn’t been before. I think Skye’s even more comfortable challenging him but also respects him so much. It’s more of a collaboration, I feel like, obviously he’s still the director but there’s definitely some tension, but it’s a good kind, it’s family tension.

What about the actual name Daisy, has that been easier for you to get used to now? Referring to yourself as Daisy and less Skye or do you still find yourself getting mixed up?

Chloe: It kind of has. I thought it would be way harder, but everyone had pretty easy of a transition; I don’t know why. I think you’ll see the first couple of episodes we focus on the fact that she’s changing her name and that Coulson in particular has the hardest time. There’s little references to it throughout the first couple episodes that made it easier.

Does she go by Quake at all? Or is she straight-up still Daisy?

Chloe: She has not yet.

Not yet, okay.

Chloe: I hope that comes soon.

How about Daisy as a leader. Obviously, now she’s going out into the Marvel Universe looking for more Inhumans with powers, but is this a responsibility that she’s ready for?

Chloe: I think so. I think she’s definitely not taking the challenge lightly. She has very strong feelings and she’s very serious about getting this team together. Obviously it’s a very personal mission for her. Even so, obviously there’s stuff going on with Simmons and that’s obviously Fitz’s number 1 priority and obviously Simmons and Daisy were close and it’s even taking precedence over that because that’s how big of a deal the Inhuman situation is. There’s so much happening. There are so many new Inhumans coming out of the woodwork because of the fish oil that it’s moving quickly and the process of finding people that can potentially be on the team, it’s going to be a little harder than everyone thinks.

It’s no secret that you’ve been reading comics since the show started and you’ve done a good amount of research. Is there someone in the Marvel Universe that you are itching to have on your caterpillar team, or Secret Warriors team?

Chloe: I don’t know if I can say anything because it’ll give it away that they’re not on it yet … Whatever … I think someone like Yo Yo Rodriguez from the original Secret Warriors would be cool. I kind of feel like there’s a little bit of similarity between old-school Skye and her. But as far as anyone else? Who knows! I’m so interested now that there are so many regulars on our show now maybe it could be one of them. At the same time, I’m really just hoping you’ll be seeing more of their back stories. I want to see more about Mack, I want to see more about Lincoln and as much as I love the character, they’re all so loved. I loved the intimacy of the first season and that’s something that I think I look forward to in the future, learning more about the characters that we do have.

But it I could add anyone to the team, Chris Evans would be okay.

[laughs]

Speaking of Chris Evans, with Civil War coming up, who’s side do you think Daisy would take? Would she stand with Iron Man or do you think she’d stand with Cap?

Chloe: I think Cap.

Yeah?

Chloe: Not just because it’s Chris Evans, I think it would be Cap because, I mean, that just makes the most sense. Iron Man is not really for her, you know? I think Daisy’s behavior up to this point,and where she’s been means she would go with Cap.

Alright, last question and it’s about this season’s Big Bad Inhuman, Lash. He is someone who obviously looks very, very different and even beyond what we saw with Raina last season. How does Daisy react to seeing an Inhuman like Lash for the first time? Does she feel like she’s done evolving or is that a worry that’s an undercurrent for her that she may become something like Lash?

Chloe: I’ve never thought about that. I think Raina was so shocking and Lash, he’s obviously even more shocking. I like to think that they’ve seen their fair share of crazy shit and that’s just something that’s pretty insane but not totally mind-blowing. So much has happened, I don’t want to say that the team is jaded, but I think that there’s definitely like that, “Okay, that’s f*cking weird but let’s try and find him.” I kind of think that’s more a “let’s shake it off and find this guy and see what he’s up to.” What he’s doing? For me, on set, when Matt walked on to set, honestly me and Luke and Henry had our jaws dropped. I actually think he looks even better in person than he does on camera. I wish everyone could see him in person, it’s just shocking.

The third season premiere of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29 on ABC.