Chloe Bennet readies for 'serious stuff' on 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' - Los Angeles Times
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Chloe Bennet readies for ‘serious stuff’ on ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’

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Chloe Bennet did not know that she would be an inhuman super-spy with a slick new costume and cool code name (Quake) when she joined the cast of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.â€

She was just happy to have a job.

“I didn’t know anything,†Bennet said. “I just knew that I had a job and could pay my rent. I had no idea to what extent Skye would be involved. ... It’s funny to think about how naive I was. Honestly, I didn’t know about Daisy Johnson.â€

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FOR THE RECORD

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Sept. 28, 4:13 p.m.: An earlier version of this article stated that the name of Chloe Bennet’s character is Daisy Fuentes. The character’s name is Daisy Johnson.

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When “S.H.I.E.L.D.†returns Tuesday, Bennet seems like she’ll be front and center on the show in many ways, and conversely, a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well.

The heroic role is one that suits the actress well. “The inner geek in me, and growing up with six brothers, I was never really interested in being the princess. I was more into being someone who kicked ass, and was a superhero.â€

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Bennet’s character growth from a hacker named Skye living out of a van to a recruiter named Daisy Johnson who tracks down people for a secret super-powered shadow government organization has been one of the show’s bigger character arcs. As the new season starts, Bennet has been reflecting on the path she’s been on.

“When I think of where my character was at the beginning of Season 1, and how I look now, I just felt pretty lucky to have such an intense story line. The character’s grown so much — she’s literally a different person now. She has a different name and she’s kind of a no-nonsense person,†Bennet said.

“She’s definitely a soldier and has been through a lot. Her mom tried to kill her, her dad is a murderer, she’s almost died several times — I mean, that changes people. She’s a tough cookie.â€

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The “tough cookie†character is also a direct trait of the actress herself. In one of the more talked-about action scenes of the season, Bennet’s Daisy took out “I think it was seven†agents in close quarters while trying to rescue a love interest. It was a seamless, one-take shot with no cuts — and Bennet broke her arm during filming.

“We were really, really proud of that [scene]. I have to give all the credit to Kevin Tanchoroen. It was really his idea to change it. At first it was like, take out two agents. Then Kevin said let’s make it seven in one shot. ... We worked really hard on that,†Bennet said.

“Yeah, I had a broken arm for the rest of the time, but it was awesome! If I’m going to break my arm doing anything, it’s going to be taking out seven Hydra agents. It’s the best story to have. It was my first broken bone and I was very proud of it.â€

In terms of the new season, though, Bennet is actually hoping for a little less action and a little more interaction.

“I love the action, but at the end of the day, it’s the relationships that are going to drive the show forward,†she said.

“I think we may be focusing a little more on relationships and different dynamics throughout the show. There’s a lot of me and Coulson (Clark Gregg) together throughout the last couple of seasons, and with Ward, and now we’re exploring everyone else. We’re mixing everyone else. Mack (Henry Simmons), my partner on the show, their dynamic is really funny and cute, and they’re really good friends and it works.â€

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If she were to sum up the upcoming season in three words?

“Some. Serious. Stuff.â€

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