Everyone wants a sexy special agent who is also a doctor; I believe it’s a requirement for any television, movie or story worth knowing, let alone a requirement for our real lives. Fans of the Marvel universe are lucky because that position gets to be filled by BJ Britt. He plays Antoine ‘Trip’ Triplett, a very well-rounded (and gorgeous) agent of SHIELD.
"I only do 36-second interviews!" he exclaimed before we had even begun rolling. He tried hard, but it is impossible for a man so sunny and positive to ever be mistaken for a diva – he is possibly one of the most entertaining, tongue-in-cheek, delicious men we have ever had the pleasure of meeting. And, for the record, the interview went well over the 36-second mark. He was kind enough to allow this.
We spoke to him on a Sunday morning during the Edmonton Expo, where he was practically bouncing off the walls with energy, while being able to meet his fans and have a great time. He is clearly a man who loves his job. Since he seemed so excited, we had to ask how he was enjoying Edmonton, and the opportunity of being able to meet his enthusiasts.
"It’s so awesome to meet everybody, because when we’re working we never get a chance to meet the fans," he said. The convention offers the opportunity to get out of that zone and see the people who appreciate his work. "We can have fun and trip out with them," he ribbed. "Get it?"
Give him the opportunity, and he will make a play on words. Give him a little tease, and he will pretend to blow up, stalking off and shouting end of interview! and security! before returning half a second later, grinning.
As an actor, he has had several walk-on roles in various shows – Bones, Nikita, Grimm, and The Vampire Diaries. But it was his role on Agents of SHIELD that really got him noticed. So what was it like embodying a character who is both a medic and a skilled fighter? "Well, I mean... he’s a fighter. He’s a lover. He’s a medic. He’s a pilot. He’s a man. He’s a man’s man." (If you watch the interview, this is the part where the video starts shaking from our editor’s laughter). More seriously, BJ continued, "It was so freaking awesome just to be able to play that character, and each episode learn more and more about him. The writers and producers do all of the hard work; we just relay the message onscreen. It was a lot of fun."
His character on the show, like many of the others, goes through tests of loyalty to determine whether or not anyone is from the enemy organization, HYDRA. In a very tense scene, Trip and fellow agent Simmons are both tested for their loyalty, and the possibility that Trip might be a HYDRA agent made many viewers nervous.
According to BJ, he got more than his fair share of notes about that. "I got so many text messages when that episode was going, like If you are HYDRA, I swear-! I was like just watch, just watch the show – no spoiler alerts! And then when I switched the knife and gave it to [Simmons] everyone was like..." and he mimicked a big, relieved sigh. "Even when I was reading the script it was like, oh my God, if I am HYDRA... I see it both ways: I see it from the fan’s point; I see it from the actor’s point."
When we interviewed another SHIELD actor, Brett Dalton, he told us that when he first joined the show he had no idea that his character was a traitor. Apparently that’s not unusual; the actors only find out after they are given the script. "They just spring it on you," BJ said before adding, "just like I didn’t know that Tripp was going to... trip, and fall, and die."
Trip’s death upset a lot of people – including BJ himself – but is happy his character died a hero. "If he had to he would do it all over again." But, hopefully, survive the next time. If he had the chance, would he go to HYDRA to save himself? Absolutely not. "You know what, he would have figured out a way to keep that cave door open. He would have figured it out."
Now that his stint on Agents of SHIELD is done, at least for the foreseeable future, BJ is free to pursue other projects. He can currently be seen on Being Mary Jane as Paul Patterson Jr. But we will still have a special place in our heart for Agent Triplett: lover; medic; pilot; man.
