Role Recall: Edward James Olmos Goes From Lt. on 'Miami Vice' to 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'

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Edward James Olmos is currently putting the screws to Director Coulson and company on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as the head of the “real” S.H.I.E.L.D. It looks, from the outside, like an honest difference of opinion: Olmos’s Robert Gonzales just wants the organization’s operations to be above-board, echoing calls in the real world for transparency from spy groups like the NSA.

Of course, as we discovered last season, things are never quite what they seem on S.H.I.E.L.D. “When Gonzales smiles, the whole world smiles with him!” declares Olmos, before bursting out into laughter. We talk with the veteran actor about what fans can expect from Gonzales going forward, and then Olmos delves a little into some of his past roles. He’s been onscreen for more than 40 years — playing everything from junkies to the savior of the human race — and the gravitas he brings to roles makes him the perfect foil to wrap up the second season of Agents.

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“The world itself is amazing and I’m very lucky to be a part of it,” says Olmos of Marvel. “I was raised on [Hulk and Iron Man]… [To] walk into the Marvel world and completely disrupt it in a positive way? Once in a lifetime!” It’s more than just the chance to be in that comic book world, though. Gonzales isn’t trying to take over the Earth or seize cosmic power: He’s a guy trying to do the job of protecting people the best he can. “I think the complexity of the writing, what they’re doing is really masterful. That’s how life really is!”

“What do you think happened to Hunter as he was sitting there?” Olmos continues, referring to last week’s reveal to the agent that his girlfriend was actually a traitor. Hunter can’t answer Gonzales because Gonzales isn’t wrong – Coulson is secretive and his behavior is erratic. “How do you deal with the truth that was put on the table?” he says. It’s a question that fans have to ask themselves: Coulson is a good man, but is he a bad director? “I think that’s great,” says Olmos. “You might find yourself rooting for the wrong people!”

So how different are Gonzales and Coulson? “You’re going to find that out as we move forward and we start to see who they are and listen to them talk. That’s the whole point of the show. So hold onto your hat, because next week? I can hardly wait to see it.”

Related: ‘The Flash’ vs. 'Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’: Which Is the Better Superhero Show?

Even if he wanted to tell us how his storyline turns out, Olmos says he couldn’t. “Actually, I don’t know how it ends! I have to see it.” Marvel — like Coulson and Nick Fury before him — is notoriously secretive, to the point that the actors themselves sometimes aren’t sure what’s going on. But he refuses to say that they’re wrapped on his character, even though they’ve finished shooting his current run. “You can’t wrap in the Marvel world!” After all, even if Gonzales dies, what comic book character hasn’t come back from the dead?

Though Olmos is best known for the role of Commander Adama, leader of the Colonial Fleet on the rebooted Battlestar Galactica series, he’s been creating indelible television personalities for decades now. Here, the actor takes a look back with Yahoo TV.

Lt. Castillo, Miami Vice (1984)

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Did your feelings about the role change from your first day on set to the last?
Martin Castillo changed from day one. I formulated the character from the time I received the call from Michael Mann to the time I ended the show, so it grew everyday. Situations changed as the show progressed and it had an impact on Castillo. He went from not knowing anyone and having a cryptic past, to embracing the members of the unit till the final moment we filmed. If you study the character you’ll see the changes — subtle, but they are there.

Judge Mendoza, The West Wing (1999)

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The West Wing often felt like a stage play in the best possible way; did that change your approach to the work at all?
West Wing and Judge Mendoza, the character, were a blessing. So well thought through and inventive in its structure and style. It was like a theatrical play because the scenes were allowed to explore in full the situation as if it held the key to the story. Never plot driven, it allowed the character to breathe. It took its time focusing on situation, especially Judge Mendoza’s journey.

Commander Adama, Battlestar Galactica (2004)

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What’s the hardest you ever laughed while shooting?
The President and the Admiral smoking an herb that the President found along the river’s edge, or so that’s where the President said… She found it!

Professor Gellar, Dexter (2011)

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Strangest memory from that show?
Finding Professor Gellar frozen in a large cooler!

Olmos also founded and is the chairman of Latino Public Broadcasting, which has been creating documentaries and since 1998. We asked what his dream project for them would be.

There’s one I’ve been trying to do for over 35 years and that’s about just one Latino Medal of Honor winner. Just one of the countless amounts that we have [61 at last count]. We have the most decorated single culture in the country and nobody even knows it. And the reason is because we’ve always come to fight for our country. Obviously, you don’t know that we were in the Civil War and we fought on both sides. People go, “What? What are you talking about?” Yeah, we were in the Civil War. We fought in the Civil War for this country’s unity. And they go, “What side were you guys on?” Both. We fought on both sides. We weren’t stupid! Our mothers didn’t raise no dummies! [Laughs.]

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.