Why Selby From The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Looks So Familiar
Every new episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier adds another piece to the puzzle, as well as a new actor to the cast. Episode 2 expands on characters such as Baron Zemo, John Walker, and the Power Broker, and episode 3 introduces Selby, a woman with connections to the Power Broker, as well as the man producing a new Super Soldier Serum. Selby only got a few moments of screen time before she was unceremoniously killed to move the plot along, but audiences got a good look at her face, and many viewers thought it looked familiar.
On The Falcon and the Winter soldier, Selby is played by Australian actress Imelda Corcoran. In the States, she might not have the same star power and name recognition as other actors on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but she's been around the movie and television block once or twice. You might have even seen her in another piece of Marvel media.
Imelda Corcoran has seen what happens When Good Ghouls Go Bad
Since Imelda Corcoran is an Australian Actress, she got her start in television and movies down under. This first phase of her career included various roles on the short-lived sketch comedy series The Comedy Sale. However, if you live in the United States, odds are you first encountered Corcoran in the made-for-tv movie When Good Ghouls Go Bad.
The film, which stars Christopher Lloyd and Joe Pichler, was written by R.L. Stine of Goosebumps fame, and revolves around a town that doesn't celebrate Halloween because of a purported curse. Lloyd's character, Uncle Fred, dies partway through the story and returns as a zombie, but not the brain-eating kind. He's the same, old goofy Uncle Fred — minus a pulse and healthy complexion.
In When Good Ghouls Go Bad, Corcoran plays the role of Taylor, one of the few people nice to Pichler's character, Danny Walker. Throughout the film, she is supportive of Danny and his family, but she doesn't receive too much character development. Then again, when Christopher Lloyd participates in a film, it's difficult to outshine him.
She played Abigail Spencer on Lost
Lost features a myriad of characters, plots, and events, and it's difficult to keep track of every single one. You need a spreadsheet to follow each character on the show, who they interact with, and how they factor into the narrative. Imelda Corcoran's character is on there somewhere.
Corcoran only appears for two minutes in the episode "Jughead" as Abigail Spencer. During this short period, Abigail provides an exposition dump for Desmond Hume (Henry Ian Cusick). Desmond is looking for Abigail's sister, Theresa (Sara Farooqui), but doesn't realize she is in a coma-like state. Abigail only stays on the show long enough to blame Daniel Faraday (Jeremy Davies) for Theresa's condition, while also praising the evil Charles Widmore (Alan Dale).
Since Corcoran is only on screen for two minutes, she doesn't receive any development, and she doesn't return in any other episodes, either. Abigail's only function in Lost is to further the mystery and plot, and she certainly fulfills that purpose.
Imelda Corcoran found A Perfect Ending as Kelly
While Imelda Corcoran has primarily appeared on TV shows and in made-for-TV movies, she has worked on several films for the big screen, albeit Australian ones that most U.S. audiences have probably never heard of. However, Corcoran's latest movie role is in an American film, and it's one of her most famous roles to date.
A Perfect Ending is a movie about a rich housewife, Rebecca (Barbara Niven), who is unhappy with her marriage, and confides in her two best friends. One of these friends, Kelly, is played by Corcoran. The friend who is not Corcoran suggests that Rebecca elope with a high-priced call girl, Paris (Jessica Clark).
Kelly's character is instrumental in the film's proceedings. If it weren't for her and Rebecca's other friend, Rebecca would never have met Paris and helped her get out of the call girl business to pursue her passion in the arts. Moreover, these friends support Rebecca's daughter, Jessica (Kerry Knuppe), when – spoilers — Rebecca dies of cancer at the end of the movie.
She made her Marvel debut on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
In a world as expansive and intertwined as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you usually don't see prominent actors in more than one role. Granted, actors have occasionally been replaced — like James Rhodes, who was supplanted by Don Cheadle — but you probably aren't going to see Cheadle play anyone else in a piece of Marvel media. Imelda Corcoran is one of the few exceptions to the rule (via Insider).
Before Selby suddenly entered the scene and was killed off just as quickly on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Corcoran played Dr. Goodman on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. She shows up in flashbacks during the episodes "The Magical Place" and "The Writing on the Wall" as the agent in charge of Project T.A.H.I.T.I., which resurrected test subjects using alien DNA. Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) asks Dr. Goodman to stop the project since it drives test subjects insane, but she manages to fix this egregious side effect (mostly) with a Memory Overwriting Machine. Good thing, too, since Coulson himself had to be revived after Loki (Tom Hiddleston) killed him in Avengers.