“We did a couple last year,” Mitchell says of pop-culture conventions. “One in London, and one in Hanover in Germany, and we had a really great experience. What I’ve found is that you get to meet some really authentic fans – not just people who recognise that you’re quote-unquote ‘famous’, who want to boost their social media.
“You’re speaking to people who are legitimate fans, and they want to ask you real questions that they’re really interested in – maybe in the acting, or the show, or the storyline, stories from the set. It’s a really cool experience to have real conversations about that stuff.”
Mitchell has experienced an incredible career. Beginning his rise in Australia with roles in H2O: Just Add Water and a whopping 670 episodes over 4 years as Romeo Smith on Home and Away, Mitchell has since become an international pop-culture icon for his roles as John Young on The Tomorrow People, as Inhuman Lincoln Campbell in Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D and as Roman in crime-thriller series Blindspot.
“Funnily enough, since Tomorrow People ended, I’ve had so many people asking me about Tomorrow People,” Mitchell says. “They’ll come up to me and say, ‘hey, I love that show – I’m so sorry that got cancelled’. That’s probably been the most surprising, but I guess the Marvel Universe is massive too and there’s obviously a lot of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D fans out there.
“The Blindspot fans have been fantastic. It’s interesting, because in the Blindspot cast there’s three of us that have done Marvel stuff. Jaimie Alexander was Lady Sif (in Thor), and then Michelle Hurd – who plays my mum on Blindspot – she was in Daredevil season two. We joke that we’re the Marvel Family, working on Blindspot.”
Since becoming part of the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mitchell has mined the comic books for inspiration to portray Campbell. His favourite part was plunging into the undiscovered, learning as much about the world of Marvel as possible, as he became one of the first actors to portray an Inhuman – a subspecies of humanity who can develop superhuman abilities.
“Inhumans are very popular in the comic books, but they hadn’t been brought to the screen before,” Mitchell says. “My character, especially in season two, was the ‘deliverer’ of information. I was educating Chloe Bennet’s character Skye (who’s now become Daisy), telling her about the world. That was probably the coolest part about it – I was being introduced to it, but then my job was to introduce one of the main characters, and therefore the audience.
I think that was the hardest part about it, delivering all of that dialogue. In my first episode, that was what I did – I had to deliver all of that information in a very specific amount of time. I had just come back from Australia, so I was jetlagged, and nervous, and tired because I had a 5am call-time up in the Malibu Mountains – and now I’m talking to the lead of the show. A lot of elements against me, but it was fun.”
Mitchell loves flawed characters with heart, stories to tell, and anything that will transport him to another world. He’s a massive Lord Of The Rings fan – The Hobbit was his favourite book growing up, and he would insist on catching the films with his family the very Boxing Day they were released. The trailers for both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Wonder Woman have caught his eye, and he can’t wait to check them out. Mitchell appreciates the fantastical and relishes every opportunity to explore that.
“I feel that joining Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D was one of the most daunting experiences of my professional career so far,” Mitchell explains. “Joining the show mid-way through season two, it felt like such a big deal and such a big machine. It’s a Marvel show – I don’t know, I guess I put everyone up on a pedestal, like, ‘Really? You want me to be a part of this?’.
“I felt the need to really step up and bring my A-Game – bring something different and interesting, unique. I felt the pressure, but it wasn’t from anyone else – it was just internal pressure. Those guys are great, and I had so much fun working on that show. I made friends on that show that I’ll have for the rest of my life. I’m pretty grateful for that experience.”
By Jacob Colliver
