(CBR) Before there was a Kristen From Statistics in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” one of the most significant unseen characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was the cellist girlfriend of Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) first mentioned during “The Avengers” — but the mystery of the cellist's identity is set to soon be revealed. TV Guide reports that “Angel” and “Dollhouse” alum Amy Acker has been cast as Audrey, Coulson's cellist ex-girlfriend who will appear in at least one episode of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” TV Guide describes the character a “a talented musician turning heads in Portland, Audrey believes Coulson to be dead and has no idea that he's guarding her from a distance as a super-powered threat from her past re-emerges.”
Acker and Gregg have worked together before, and recently — though their on-screen relationship was admittedly very different. The duo were both a part of Joss Whedon's “Much Ado About Nothing” in 2012. Acker played Beatrice, the female lead, and Gregg played Leonato, her father. Currently starring on “Person of Interest,” Acker has been a longtime participant in Joss Whedon's projects, starting with “Angel” and then moving to “Dollhouse,” where she worked with current “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancheroen. In fact, during a recent “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”-centric chat with the showrunners, Tancheroen teased that they were looking into casting a familiar face as Coulson's ex.
“We're not sure [what happened to the cellist], but right now we do have an 'expert' giving an 'actress we love' a crash course of 'cello lessons,'” Tancheroen said.
“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” airs Tuesdays on ABC.