J. August Richards Had No Idea He Was Going To Be Deathlok

J. August Richards starred in the pilot episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but did he know from back then that he was destined to play Deathlok on ABC's superhero drama? Nope. How about when he returned later in the season as a powerhouse addition to Agent Coulson's team? Nope. Well what about when he went in for a mysterious costume fitting? Nada. Well just when did Richards find out? Speaking to HeroComplex, Richards stated, "Everything with Marvel is on a need-to-know basis, so I didn’t officially know [I was going to be Deathlok] until the second episode I did, which I think was the 10th episode in the season. Information is carefully guarded over there. I definitely didn’t know that I was Deathlok. I even had a costume fitting, and I didn’t know what I was being fitted for!" Richards goes on to admit that he did a lot of research for the role, reading a lot of back-issues of Marvel Comics collection, specifically the Michael Collins version of the character.

Touching more on the Michael Collins version of Deathlok, Richards added, "in my reading, I was drawn more to the Michael Collins version because this character is such a good man, such a good moral, decent person. For [Peterson] to do the things he’s asked to do as Deathlok are very difficult for him. When I showed up to play the character for the first couple of days, I was still trying to find it. Obviously these are circumstances that I can’t relate to, but I had to really use my imagination to get at what it would be like for Mike Peterson to be turned into Deathlok. Once I figured it out, it was like night and day, just a huge epiphany on what was going on internally for this character. I feel blessed that I’ve been asked to play this character because I always want to play the person behind the superhero."

Related Content:
Clark Gregg Teases Interrelation Between AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. And CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
First Look At Victoria Hand On AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Producer Talks CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER Tie-In

Running Time: 60 min
Release Date: September 24, 2013
MPAA Rating: Tv PG-13
Starring: Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Elizabeth Henstridge, Iain De Caestecker, Brett Dalton
Directed by: Joss Whedon (pilot)
Written by: Maurissa Tancharoen (story/writer), Jed Whedon(story/writer),Jeffrey Bell (executive producer), Jeph Loeb (executive producer)

"Clark Gregg reprises his role of Agent Phil Coulson from Marvel’s feature films, as he assembles a small, highly select group of Agents from the worldwide law-enforcement organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Together they investigate the new, the strange, and the unknown across the globe, protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary. Coulson's team consists of Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), highly trained in combat and espionage; Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), expert pilot and martial artist; Agent Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), brilliant engineer; and Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), genius bio-chemist. Joining them on their journey into mystery is new recruit and computer hacker, Skye (Chloe Bennet). Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel’s first television series, is from executive producers Joss Whedon (Marvel's The Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen, who co-wrote the pilot (Dollhouse, Dr.Horrible's Sing-Along Blog). Jeffrey Bell (Angel, Alias) and Jeph Loeb (Smallville, Lost, Heroes) also serve as executive producers. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television."