In the bustling CBS newsroom of the hit drama Good Night, and Good Luck, Don Hollenbeck is a loyal lieutenant to superstar broadcaster Edward R. Murrow. Clark Gregg takes on the small but pivotal role of Hollenbeck, earning the evening’s most vocal response in an exchange with George Clooney (as Murrow) about the effect of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist crusade.
Gregg has spent four decades making the most of supporting roles on stage and screen, as well as leading the cast of TV’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as the unflappable Agent Phil Coulson. Before finding a home in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Gregg was a founding member and former artistic director of off-Broadway’s Atlantic Theater Company, enjoying collaborations with David Mamet on stage (Sexual Perversity in Chicago) and screen (State and Main). Just after Good Night, and Good Luck’s star-studded opening night, he chatted about his theatrical roots and his joy at being back in New York.
How exciting was opening night of Good Night, and Good Luck, including a swanky party at the New York Public Library?
I can’t remember the last time I went to an opening, so I asked someone, “Are they all this glamorous?” And the answer was “NO.” I will not be the first person to say this, but George Clooney is the Cary Grant of our time. He carries a lot of glamour and inspires a lot of glamour. Throw in the period-piece nature of the play, and the fact that the invitation said “Black Tie”—looking out at a Broadway house filled with people in tuxes and fancy attire was really cool and appropriate.
Who accompanied you to this glittering celebration?
I took a wonderful young actress who I’m very close to named Stella Gregg [his 23-year-old daughter with ex-wife Jennifer Grey]. She largely grew up on the West Coast, but just finished filming a lead in a Lifetime movie and is feeling the itch to come east and connect with her Atlantic [Theater Company] extended family.
“I will not be the first person to say this, but George Clooney is the Cary Grant of our time.” –Clark Gregg
How does it feel to be part of THE hottest new play of the season?
I moved back to New York about a year-and-a-half ago partly because I miss the theater. I did a new David Ives play [Pamela Palmer] last summer in Williamstown, but I thought it was going to take a while to work my way back into the room. I got very lucky when [director] David Cromer gave me a shot to play Don Hollenbeck, who had been a war correspondent with Ed Murrow in World War II. I found him compelling because he was a different kind of man, more fragile in a world where men were expected to deal with their fear and anxiety.
You have a brief scene with George Clooney that draws applause and cheers. Were you surprised the first time it happened?
I was stunned. We had been in the rehearsal room working with 1950s television technology, all these monitors, and it’s quiet in many ways. You don’t know how something is going to land. When we got in front of an audience, to hear the gasps and visceral reactions, specifically to the scene you’re talking about, when Hollenbeck is expressing how stunned he is that world around him doesn’t make sense—that felt really good as an artist. It also made me sad.
Did you feel right away that George Clooney would be up to the task of leading a Broadway company?
The first day of rehearsal, he spoke about how many years it had been since he had done a play—one that I happen to have seen in Chicago, and he was terrific in. He expressed his nerves about stepping into an unfamiliar world. When somebody shows up with humility, it makes me feel confident. I’ve worked with a lot of movie stars, and you don’t get a career like George Clooney’s without having deep talent and skill. I think that’s clear to everyone who sees the show.
Atlantic Theater Company, which you helped found, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Why do you think it has remained one of the best off-Broadway companies?
Obviously I’m biased, but when I was hanging around with Dave Mamet and Bill Macy after college, our first principle was that the play’s the thing. All the choices would be about telling the story of the play, not what costume would look cool, or whatever. Also, what Neil Pepe [artistic director since 1992] has accomplished is the envy of theaters in and out of New York. Neil parked cars with me in the ’80s at the Water Club [restaurant] on the East River, and I said, “Listen, we’re starting a theater company. Do you want to come up to Vermont this summer? I’ll introduce you to my friend Mary McCann.” And now they’ve been married for almost 30 years.
Atlantic has stayed true to its mission and not tried to get too big.
That’s a good point, and the other thing about Neil is that he played in bands. He’s a really good guitar player, and he saw a way that shows like Spring Awakening could be brought to life when other people might not take a chance. He gave these incredible musicals, like The Band’s Visit, places to start.
Kimberly Akimbo…
Exactly. Buena Vista Social Club…
…which is so great on Broadway.
I heard that! They were rehearsing near us, and I felt like I should flash them the Atlantic gang salute.
Is it true that David Mamet got you into Jiu Jitsu?
Yes. He was directing a movie called Spartan and wrote a lovely role for me as a Secret Service operative. He had started training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and he said, “You’ve got to try this.” I thought, “Great! Am I going to get to do this in the movie?” And he said, “No, but your guy would know how to do it.” I fell in love with it, and I’ve been doing it for 20 years.
Have you been able to see the Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross?
No, and I’m desperate to see it. Bill Burr came to our show the other night, which makes me think there’s a performance where we don’t cross, and I’ll be able to. It’s a terrific bunch of actors.
(Photo: Disney/Marvel)
Turning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, your character, Agent Phil Coulson, has a whopper of a Wikipedia page.
He does? I didn’t know that!
Did you imagine that the character would be part of your life for 15 years?
Not at all. It was a small role in the first Iron Man, but I was such a fan of Robert Downey, and I loved that comic as a kid, so I thought, “Let’s do it.” The guys at Marvel Cinematic immediately sensed that the audience would connect with a very normal, not “super” person who had a lot of skills and a lot of secrets. And they connected to him so much that it ended up being five or six movies and seven years of a TV show. Crazy!
Am I correct that Tom Hiddleston killed you?
It’s really insensitive of you to bring that up. [laughs] Yes, my pal stabbed me. Tom is the sweetest guy, and he felt so bad the day he was throwing me out of the franchise. But it worked out—he got the Loki show, and I got Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Tom’s doing just fine.
And now your daughter, Stella, is pursuing acting. Is that something you and Jennifer encouraged?
We didn’t discourage her. We were not super open to the idea of her starting to work professionally as a child, and that was OK with her. She spent her high school years studying psychology and English, and I think she would have gone off to college and become a psych major. But after COVID, which hit her class hard, she had a change of heart and wanted to study and pursue it. She’ll call me about performances she’s seen or ask me to help her make sense of an audition. I couldn’t be more thrilled by it, honestly.
What do you hope she learned from observing your career?
A crew member on the movie she just did called me and said, “She came prepared every day and brought coffee for the crew on a night shoot, so I think your job is done.” That’s all I needed to hear.
What are you enjoying most about being back in New York?
How much time do you have? I’ve gotten to go to some Knicks games, and I took my mom to the Whitney Museum to see some paintings. Just the fact that I get to hop on a Citibike and ride up to the Winter Garden and do a performance tonight is pretty darn high on the list. I’m having the time of my life.
