Elizabeth Henstridge

OF “MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.” ON ABC

As “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” resumes its fourth season, with all that your alter ego Jemma Simmons has been through lately, do you consider her a tougher person now?

Oh, she is, absolutely! I think what’s nice is that she still has the same essence. We haven’t just said, “Oh, she’s completely changed”; she’s just grown so much, and a lot of that has been through grief. She lost a man she loved, she’s accepted that and she’s grown from it. And she’s also had to survive. She’s had choices to make that have definitely shaped her.

What do you think that’s meant to playing the relationship between Simmons and her very close comrade Fitz (Iain De Caestecker)?

When you get those scenes to do, it’s just so cool, every day. Iain is such a brilliant actor, and to be able to have gone on such a journey together, it’s why I wanted to be an actor in the first place. And we just say what the writers tell us to say, and we give them so much credit. They’ve developed these characters that people are invested in, and it allows us to have those moments of indulgence in their emotions and feelings. I just feel so lucky. I had no idea (Simmons) would end up here.

One of your finest hours on “S.H.I.E.L.D.” – literally – was Season 3’s “4,722 Hours,” which challenged Simmons to survive on another planet after she was “swallowed” by a monolith. How do you look back upon that episode now?

We were in our element. One take per shot, moving perfectly, and it just went great. I’m just so proud of it. That was a tough couple of weeks, but it was good to be completely immersed in that way. Everybody was very supportive, and I just loved every second of it.