Matthew Willig – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

By starrymag | January 5, 2016

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I just finished a cameo in a Vince Vaughn film that is coming out. Obviously, the big one I’m in the middle of is “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” playing the character Lash, which has been a lot of fun to do and a lot of work. We have a lot of fun as well. I’m in the movie Concussion, which came out a few days ago. It’s been kind of fun seeing and hearing from people and getting their feedback, former football players who are friends of mine who are very emotional about seeing the film.

Q) What made you want to be a part of the film Concussion?

A) I saw the role when it came out and obviously I connect to both worlds. Now, being an actor, and my size does limit some of the opportunities that I have. So, when I saw someone who was 6’7 and 300lbs that’s the first thing I connected with. Then, obviously, having that connection to the football world and having lived that sort of life battling with injuries and having a few concussions myself, I really wanted it. I went after it. I called my agent right away and said, “I want to get in to see this film.” Fortunately, they did and I think right away they were pleasantly surprised that the audition process was sort of an emotional one. It required some emotion right from the get-go. So, I think they were really excited to have not only an actor with the physical stature of this character, but a former NFL player.

Q) Were you able to spend any time with Justin Strzelcyzk’s family in order to get into his mindset and accurately portray him?

A) I was and that was really, really important to me. It’s one of the things I asked for when I knew I was going to be in Pittsburgh shooting the film. I wanted to talk to his widow. Even before I met her, she was able to send me some of his writings. He was a left brain thinker. He had this football side to him that was macho, manly, but he also liked poetry and liked writing. He loved music and played guitar, which I studied before the film. So, there was a lot of that that I wanted to get to know. His widow was very open and she was involved with the film. She was very open and sent me a thick packet of a whole bunch of different stuff.  It was interesting to see that, read that and get to know more about him and who he was as an individual versus his football persona. When I went to Pittsburgh I ended up meeting up with her and spending a little time with her. I got to meet their son. That was really important to me. As my career has progressed, to be able to connect with characters in some way is really important and that was a great way to do that.

Q) As a former NFL player, what do hope people take away from seeing the film?

A) Obviously, I’m already starting to get the word, but it is a dialogue of where we go from here both from a parental standpoint. There has a been a lot of talk about kids as early as seven or eight years old playing football. How are we doing with the NFL players as they are playing getting concussions? We are also seeing that the protocol is that if a guy gets hurt during a game he gets pulled out, which is happening a lot more these days than ever before. Then, when these guys are done playing, how can we take care of that? Guys are having symptoms and falling into depression. There are signs of having CPE and things that may ultimately take their lives. How can we help them? How can we get them insurance so we can get them medical attention? Those are the things that we need to be talking about so now the NFL is stepping up to the plate and we’re more a part of it.

Q) How was your character Lash on “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” originally described to you?

A) It’s a funny story because typically Marvel and their world is very secretive. I didn’t really even know as I was booking the job what it was going to entail and what I was going to look like. It was only once I booked it and started getting into the process that they said I was going to go do a mold of my face, back and body. That was kind of when I started getting the idea of what this guy was going to look like. Obviously, I was really excited about what he was going to look like, but I was worried about it because I knew I was going to have my shirt off for the next several weeks so I had to get in shape. [laughs] But, yeah, it was a cool process. I was able to quickly go to the comic book and see what it looks like since it was a character already introduced in the comic world. It was also scary to do a character that is already out there because you wonder how the public is going to react to my version of it or Marvel’s version of it in the TV show. That was an interesting process. We tweaked it a bit as we went on and the character kind of had different facial features in the beginning. We tweaked that a little bit. It was a lot of fun! It’s always exciting to get into that stuff and be able to see if I can move around.

Q) Was there anything you added to the role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) Not really. I think the only thing as I said was that Marvel knows what they want. They have a clear idea of what they want to do with the character and how they want to bring it to life. It was pretty tight as far as what I could do, but I think the only thing they weren’t sure I could do was bring the voice to it. Originally, they were going to use a different voice and I think that I went in and did a little bit of voiceover for it. I had enough of a deep voice that they said, “Okay, this is something that I can use. You can use your own voice and really play with it and have fun with it.” I think that was a nice thing for me to be able to do because I really wanted to bring my voice to it. I don’t speak a lot, but it was nice to be able to have what I do for the most part be my voice. They tend to play with it a bit in the post production of it, but for the most part it is my voice which is nice.

Q) Talk about the process of getting into character.

A) It’s the hardest, but also kind of the most fun. It started out as a five hour process and we have gotten it down now to about four hours. The face is several pieces and once we got it down to the right order of it all…We put the face on in different spots and then we have to go to the body. The character is very gray and sort of blue-ish so there is a lot of body makeup that goes on. And the hairpiece is my most fun part! When I put that on and feel that…Surprisingly, the great thing about television these days is it’s not that heavy. It’s not that cumbersome. I think the hardest thing for me after the four hours is knowing that maybe within one take of a scene my makeup may come off or I may lose one piece of hair. The hardest thing is knowing that after four hours of working their butt off the team that does a great job of putting me together that I could do one scene or hit someone and it may mess up the whole thing. That’s where the real work comes in. It’s sort of as the day goes on and as we are working, patching me up as we go along. It’s an adjustment by not only me and the team prosthetic team, but also the production. It’s having them be patient with me that if I need to reapply something and they are ready to go, I need two minutes to fix my hair. Everybody just has to be a little patient with it and so far they have been gracious about it. Even the process to get out of it is about an hour and a half. I need a shower of some kind to be able to get out, clean everything off me and get all the makeup, glue and everything off me as well. So, you are talking about six hours just to get in and out of the makeup and it makes for long days.

Q) What have been a memorable moment from filming “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

A) I think the first week that I was on was really fun because I think it was the first time all the other actors got to see me. I got a kick out of introducing myself to every actor in sort of a way where I’d walk up behind them, stand there and just let them feel me. It was always fun to do that. A couple times I scared a couple of the actors and crew just walking up behind them. Then, as time goes on and they get to know me a little bit, I try to stay hard in that costume. I’m still mean on screen so I’m trying to goof off and have a little fun. I much prefer people to say, “You’re standing in the Lash costume yet you’re dancing? It just doesn’t work.” So, just moments like that and having some fun with it and allowing the character to be fun as well as scary has been the greatest thing.

Q) Is there something you wish you had scenes with or had more scenes with?

A) Well, it would be great at some point if Blair Underwood and myself became two different people and I sort of look back at him. That would be kind of a fun thing. I think Blair is a tremendous actor and a tremendous guy. We are sort of sharing the character. Right from the get-go we understood that we were the yin and the yang so we should have a bond here. He was great at accepting me and having that bond as we go along. It’s been fun. Everyone has been great. I’m not sure where the character is going right now, but I’m hoping that eventually maybe I can stand with or against the other main characters in the show or battle with them.

Q) You are a part of social media fan feedback. Have you been enjoying the instant fan feedback you have been receiving about your character?

A) It has been great! It was very nerve-wracking for me because I know that this is one of those shows that is fan driven. So, fan loyalty is huge and I quickly realized that. I had a little bit of that when I was on “NCIS” a few years ago and that was the same way. It was a number one rated show and the fanbase is huge. They would obviously let you know right away if you were accepted into their world. I was worried about that at first with Lash because you never know (like I said earlier) if my version of Lash was going to be something that fans like. I think that fans can kill your character as well as keep it going. I was obviously very happy that people seemed to be responding very well to the look of the character, the feel and what I was bringing to it. So, it was really cool to get that. Thankfully, I can sit here and say that because obviously if they said this character sucks or looks horrible and they don’t’ like the way things are going then you are hating the instant feedback. So far, it’s been very cool and everyone is sort of taken with what I am doing with it.

Q) You made a significant career change after working in the NFL for so long. What made you want to become an actor?

A) I like to say that I’m the fifth or sixth kid so I was starving for attention. [laughs] The honesty of it is that I did a small movie when I was at Southern California playing football in my senior year. I did a small low budget action movie and got a taste for that. I thought, “This is something that sounds pretty cool.” It was a really good experience. Then, as I started hosting radio and TV shows during my NFL career, I sort of got comfortable being in front of the camera and talking. It was something I thought I’d give a shot. People suggested I should go into broadcasting, but I thought, “Why don’t I try this acting thing?” I did some commercials in my off season later on in my career before I even retired and I sort of had instant success with that. Then, as I retired I thought, “Let me give this a shot and see how it goes.” You know right away or somewhat right away if it is something you would be decent at. I kind of started booking shows right away. I did “West Wing” and an episode of “Malcolm In The Middle” my first year where I was able to really get some feedback and found I was decent at it. I really wanted to be good at it so the focus I made after I retired was that I was going to give myself two years to really make a move in the industry. It’s a long ladder to climb, but I get every bit as much enjoyment doing a good job on screen as I did playing ball. So, I have been really, really fortunate to find a second career like this. It’s a struggle because it is an up and down career, but I really, really enjoy it.

Q) What advice have you gotten from your costars that you have taken to heart?

A) It’s really about me watching. I’ve heard this before from other people that you can really learn from other actors, especially good ones. So, I really don’t like running back to my trailer or running off. I like to sit and watch others work because you can learn by just watching other people do what they do. There is no question that as you go along there is a freedom. Sometimes the thing that holds you back as an actor is having the acceptance to be free to do what you want to do, take a chance and take a risk. That’s kind of the biggest thing I’ve learned from watching people. People like Jack Black does what he does and is so out there and takes chances. It’s been amazing! And watching Mark Harmon on “NCIS” being subtle with things and making some amazing little choices that come across on screen…It’s really watching people that really makes the biggest difference for me and has made the biggest change in me. Just watching and learning from them.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) Keep watching. That’s all I can say. Social media has been great because it’s nice to have people put my name out there and say he’s doing a good job. That’s always nice. It is interesting how that can sway the industry a little bit, having your name out there and be relevant as it is is pretty nice. Keep watching. Keep expecting more. Know that I am trying my best no matter what happens. I really do appreciate the love. It’s humbling to have people that you don’t know appreciate what you do.