Agent Phil Coulson first appeared as a mostly background character in Marvel’s Iron Man movie portrayed by Clark Gregg. Gregg has managed to make that character a major part of the Marvel movie universe, not only appearing in Iron Man 2 and Thor but also the upcoming superhero team-up movie The Avengers.
But Coulson isn’t just on the big screen — Gregg has appeared as Coulson in several shorts that link the Marvel films, and is now also reprising the role — who also moonlights as Peter Parker’s high school principal — as a voice actor for Ultimate Spider-Man, a new animated television series. Gregg talks about his new role as a voice actor and the future of Agent Coulson to NBC New York.
Though it is his first animated series, Ultimate Spider-Man isn’t the first time Gregg has done voice acting. He explains, “I started a theater company in New York with David Mamet and Bill Macy years ago, and one of the things that Mamet loved was radio plays. We did a bunch of them. I directed one for NPR years ago with he and Felicity Huffman. I’ve always loved them, but I’ve never done an animated show before and I always wanted to. I just never thought that it would be as cool as being Principal Coulson and getting to hang out with Aunt May who’s kind of hot in Ultimate Spider-Man.”
So is Gregg’s Coulson set to be Marvel’s “good luck charm,” like John Ratzenberger for Pixar? Not if Gregg can help it, because he’s pushing for Coulson to get his own movie. He says, “I’ve been floating that! It’s like a dirigible made of iron. There’re a lot of interesting plans for Agent Coulson. So far I don’t say stuff. They keep coming to me with interesting stuff, stuff like this. Basically I just wait to hear what crazy thing they’re going to come up with next.”
Nonetheless, though Gregg has spent the last several years interacting with superheroes it hasn’t raised his profile among his daughter. He admits, “It’s funny to have a daughter. If I had a ten-year-old son I think I would be a pretty big guy around the house. But unless I end up in a scene with Taylor Swift in one of these movies it’s just getting me no love at my house.”
