We reported yesterday that Amy Acker has signed on to guest star in the April 22 episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., portraying Audrey, the long-distance girlfriend of Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg). This Portland-based cellist is unaware that her boyfriend is still alive, with Coulson protecting her from afar as a threat from her past emerges. Today, we have the first look at Amy Acker as Audrey, which you can check out below, along with an interview about the actress where she reveals more about this mysterious character.

While this upcoming episode marks the first time this character is identified by name, she was mentioned in 2012's Marvel's The Avengers, during a conversation between Coulson and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and again in a previous Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode. In an interview with Marvel.com, Amy Acker revealed that she was always intrigued about who Coulson's girlfriend really was.

I was, because I'm also a huge Clark Gregg fan. I've always been interested in what his storyline is going to be. It just seems like such a neat little piece to put in there. So when Clark was like, 'Joss (Whedon) wrote the thing about the cellist in Marvel's The Avengers and [it's] something that's been really important to [me] all along,' I was excited."

The actress has previously worked with series creators Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen on shows such as Angel and Dollhouse, revealing that she landed the role of Audrey because she kept bugging them to cast her in the series.

"Well, I have been bugging [them] and just saying how I love working with all of them. Jed and Maurissa produced Dollhouse and obviously I would kill to do anything with Clark. I think he's so great. I have been dropping not so subtle hints that I would like to work with them and then they called me and asked if I might be available. It kind of worked out perfectly when I had a couple of days off. It was nice. It didn't look like it was going to happen and then everything came together."

She also revealed that, while she was curious about who Audrey really was, she didn't think they'd cast her.

"Well, I think one of the things that was so interesting about the role is that she has this backstory and she has been talked about in the TV show as well as the movie and you knew that she was someone important to him and, therefore, to everyone and, as an audience member, important to me. I was curious to see who they were going to cast as that person, never actually thinking it was going to be me. [laughs] But [I was] just excited to see how that storyline would play out. So when Clark called me personally and said how important this role was to him, that it [needed to be] cast with the right person, it was very flattering that he thought that I was that person."

She also said that Audrey is finally starting to move on after learning about Coulson's death, when we first meet her in the episode.

"I think that she's starting to try to put her life back together, and there [are] some great scenes about how hard that's been, but that she's finally gotten to a good place."

When asked what Audrey sees in Coulson, the actress reveals that they have a very honest connection, akin to soul mates.

"There's a lot of talk [in the episode] about how it was when they were together. I think that one of the biggest things that they keep bringing up when she talks about him is how he made her laugh, and just the trust that she had for him. I [don't'] think anyone would have a hard time falling in love with Coulson, there's probably a long line of people with that already. It just seems like they really had a real, honest connection. I know it sounds cheesy, but [they] really [had] a soulmate-type vibe."

While we don't know exactly what the threat from Audrey's past that surfaces is yet, the actress talked about Audrey's ability to keep everything together under pressure.

"That's kind of the struggle of the episode, [her] finding the strength to hold up under that pressure. I think probably her relationship with Coulson and with S.H.I.E.L.D., and what they did for her in the past, has made her a stronger person and made her really trust that if she does what they say, that things are going to turn out the way they should and that she's going to be protected. So I think that when she gets afraid and starts to doubt whether or not the plan is going to actually work, it seems like her love of Coulson is what makes her strong enough to keep with it in the end."

As of now, Amy Acker is only slated to appear in one episode, but she revealed that she would jump at the chance to come back.

"Yeah, definitely. It seems like these two people are meant to be together and their story hasn't really been told. The way that it ends in this episode, it seems like there's a glimmer of hope that they may be together again or something like that. I feel like it's sort of destiny for their paths to cross in some way."

Amy Acker previously starred alongside Clark Gregg in Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, with their Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. reunion set to air on Tuesday, April 22 at 8 PM ET on ABC.