Q&A with Ming-Na Wen for the Blu-ray Release of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Complete First Season
HomeQ&A with Ming-Na Wen for the Blu-ray Release of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Complete First Season
Posted September 8, 2014 02:26 PM by Webmaster
With only a day left before Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Complete First Season is released on Blu-ray, Walt Disney Home Entertainment has sent us a brand new Q&A with Ming-Na Wen ("Melinda May"). The full interview is attached below.
Do you have in your mind what happened in that building that turned her into a very kind of self-contained, introspective person?
Ming-Na: I wish I could say I did but I'm not lying, I have no idea. Absolutely none. And I've giving up asking our writers because they're like S.H.I.E.L.D., you don't get an answer.
That's level 7.
Ming-Na: Yeah, you're only a level 7.
Are there mysteries or performance aspects you might do and they go listen, we can't tell you why but your character probably wouldn't do that?
Ming-Na: It's interesting because what I have to do when I'm reading a script and there's a lot of vague mentions of a past, I just kind of fill it with my own personal angst because you really have to have that kind of come through the eyes of this character since she is so expressionless in so many ways. And it's all suppressed and that that's my own little world that I play in. And if I do get too emotional, which I like to do, they will pull me back and say, you know what, she wouldn't reveal it as much, not yet.
How much do you feel like the character has either changed or grown since they originally conceived her until now?
Ming-Na: Well, I think she's learning to really be part of a team. In that way, the two of us, I think, that's why Ward and May did get together, because they are two soldiers, they have a lot of deep dark secrets that they keep suppressed, and yet they need a stress reliever. And as human beings they found that in each other where it's just sexual; it has nothing to do with any emotions. But as in any human relationship like that, eventually I think it gets a little complicated.
Chloe has said she was surprised at how different the character was after having done a series of episodes. Looking back, do you feel like your performance or aspects of the way that you play the character are different, and maybe why would that be?
Ming-Na: Well, I think she really – I mean speaking of Chloe, Skye and I May, their relationship grew from the beginning. She didn't understand why she was on this bus, but she just trusted in Coulson; he's the leader; he's got a game plan. And throughout I mean I think May was one of those people that just didn't like her there. She thinks that she's someone that could cause an issue when it comes to safety. If they go out on a mission she's just not ready and she just has no idea. And over time, because Chloe has proven herself, through the training with her SO, Ward and just her intelligent, when she dressed up as May, that's the one moment that I love so much. Because when May just looked at her and goes, "nice jacket," that's her way of saying – it's almost like my parents. They don't say I love you. Like to my brother, I remember one time my dad would be like, "you no-good son." And in a way that's him acknowledging that he loves him. So May is warming up to the idea of being part of this team and she's very protective. Like the moment when she took the girl to the barn and, you know, wanted to take us away from the plane and take care of the situation because she wants to protect her family, her team, and that's different for her.
We know the myth of her and also the kind of more true story, but you almost weren't involved in clearing up the myth. Are you looking for an episode that shows us more of what we've been hearing is going on in her head? Is there one coming up?
Ming-Na: No, I would prefer it to be revealed in like season three, season five.
You've done one hour shows before and one of the things we were talking about is when the pilots came out this summer there were a couple that almost looked like a movie. How does it compare to other shows?
Ming-Na: Well, this is truly one of the most elaborate shows I've ever been on. I feel like we're making a movie every eight days. There's just no way that you can do a show like this and not be proud of it. Because what ends up airing, I'm always astounded. Our post people are amazing, the special effects is incredible and we have such a short amount of time to do it. And each episode is bigger than the next so it's an amazing group of people putting it together.
And do you have fans asking you to kick their ass now?
Ming-Na: They keep asking me what form of martial arts I take and I've studied martial arts in the past, but not so seriously where I've gained my black belt from one or the other. In Wushu there's no belts. So I say it's my acting form that [gave me my training in] martial arts. Is it all choreographed?
Ming-Na: It's choreographed. We work really hard. I think Brett and I being the fighters in the team, I think we do much more of our own stunts than most actors could do and we're very proud of that because we've grown so much from the beginning of the pilot till now in how much we've learned with our stunt team. I feel like I've acquired a new skill.
When Coulson was originally conceived for the movies he was very incidental to the mythology and now he's become indispensable to this cinematic mythology. Do you feel a sense of pressure or opportunity to be creating something that is going to be woven into the fabric of this incredibly rich mythology that people are so passionate about?
Ming-Na: Yeah, I mean the pressure of doing any TV show is there, but for me it's just been so much fun. I completely trust the writers. They are part of that Marvel world. We have Jeph Loeb, we have people who eat and smell and fart Marvel. They know it forwards and backwards and they know all the mythology. So I'm just so thankful to be in this world and helping them to create it.
Do you have in your mind what happened in that building that turned her into a very kind of self-contained, introspective person?
Ming-Na: I wish I could say I did but I'm not lying, I have no idea. Absolutely none. And I've giving up asking our writers because they're like S.H.I.E.L.D., you don't get an answer.
That's level 7.
Ming-Na: Yeah, you're only a level 7.
Are there mysteries or performance aspects you might do and they go listen, we can't tell you why but your character probably wouldn't do that?
Ming-Na: It's interesting because what I have to do when I'm reading a script and there's a lot of vague mentions of a past, I just kind of fill it with my own personal angst because you really have to have that kind of come through the eyes of this character since she is so expressionless in so many ways. And it's all suppressed and that that's my own little world that I play in. And if I do get too emotional, which I like to do, they will pull me back and say, you know what, she wouldn't reveal it as much, not yet.
How much do you feel like the character has either changed or grown since they originally conceived her until now?
Ming-Na: Well, I think she's learning to really be part of a team. In that way, the two of us, I think, that's why Ward and May did get together, because they are two soldiers, they have a lot of deep dark secrets that they keep suppressed, and yet they need a stress reliever. And as human beings they found that in each other where it's just sexual; it has nothing to do with any emotions. But as in any human relationship like that, eventually I think it gets a little complicated.
Chloe has said she was surprised at how different the character was after having done a series of episodes. Looking back, do you feel like your performance or aspects of the way that you play the character are different, and maybe why would that be?
Ming-Na: Well, I think she really – I mean speaking of Chloe, Skye and I May, their relationship grew from the beginning. She didn't understand why she was on this bus, but she just trusted in Coulson; he's the leader; he's got a game plan. And throughout I mean I think May was one of those people that just didn't like her there. She thinks that she's someone that could cause an issue when it comes to safety. If they go out on a mission she's just not ready and she just has no idea. And over time, because Chloe has proven herself, through the training with her SO, Ward and just her intelligent, when she dressed up as May, that's the one moment that I love so much. Because when May just looked at her and goes, "nice jacket," that's her way of saying – it's almost like my parents. They don't say I love you. Like to my brother, I remember one time my dad would be like, "you no-good son." And in a way that's him acknowledging that he loves him. So May is warming up to the idea of being part of this team and she's very protective. Like the moment when she took the girl to the barn and, you know, wanted to take us away from the plane and take care of the situation because she wants to protect her family, her team, and that's different for her.
We know the myth of her and also the kind of more true story, but you almost weren't involved in clearing up the myth. Are you looking for an episode that shows us more of what we've been hearing is going on in her head? Is there one coming up?
Ming-Na: No, I would prefer it to be revealed in like season three, season five.
You've done one hour shows before and one of the things we were talking about is when the pilots came out this summer there were a couple that almost looked like a movie. How does it compare to other shows?
Ming-Na: Well, this is truly one of the most elaborate shows I've ever been on. I feel like we're making a movie every eight days. There's just no way that you can do a show like this and not be proud of it. Because what ends up airing, I'm always astounded. Our post people are amazing, the special effects is incredible and we have such a short amount of time to do it. And each episode is bigger than the next so it's an amazing group of people putting it together.
And do you have fans asking you to kick their ass now?
Ming-Na: They keep asking me what form of martial arts I take and I've studied martial arts in the past, but not so seriously where I've gained my black belt from one or the other. In Wushu there's no belts. So I say it's my acting form that [gave me my training in] martial arts. Is it all choreographed?
Ming-Na: It's choreographed. We work really hard. I think Brett and I being the fighters in the team, I think we do much more of our own stunts than most actors could do and we're very proud of that because we've grown so much from the beginning of the pilot till now in how much we've learned with our stunt team. I feel like I've acquired a new skill.
When Coulson was originally conceived for the movies he was very incidental to the mythology and now he's become indispensable to this cinematic mythology. Do you feel a sense of pressure or opportunity to be creating something that is going to be woven into the fabric of this incredibly rich mythology that people are so passionate about?
Ming-Na: Yeah, I mean the pressure of doing any TV show is there, but for me it's just been so much fun. I completely trust the writers. They are part of that Marvel world. We have Jeph Loeb, we have people who eat and smell and fart Marvel. They know it forwards and backwards and they know all the mythology. So I'm just so thankful to be in this world and helping them to create it.
