The AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Cast Fought To Have Jeff Ward Play Deke, Saving The Star From Being Killed Off
Jeff Ward's Deke became a fan-favorite in Season 6 of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but a new interview reveals that the stars of the series had to rally together to make sure the actor earned the role.
The character of Deke isn't too popular among most of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, but thankfully actor Jeff Ward left a better impression on his fellow cast members, as it helped him earn a larger role on the show.
During a recent interview with the cast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ward revealed that he was originally set to play Virgil, a character that gets killed off in the first episode of Season 5. He even took part in a table read as Virgil, which prompted his castmates to take action and ask that he be recast.
“At the end of the table read, we all went to our bosses and said, ‘He’s got to be Deke, he’s so amazing, we can’t lose him after one episode,’ ” Elizabeth Henstridge told the L.A. Times, describing the moment that led to Ward auditioning for the role of Deke just an hour later.
In all, it sounds like fans - and Jeff Ward himself - owe a lot to the stars of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., for if it wasn't for them we likely wouldn't have seen the actor bring the fan-favorite Zima-lover to life
Along with this new bit of info, the show also announced that filming for Season 6 has begun by sharing an image that teases Clark Gregg's return to the director's chair.