While many Karen Gillan fans have followed the actress since her days on Doctor Who, most of the world is getting their first taste of the actress through her role in the mega-successful Guardians of the Galaxy films. If you too are wanting to learn a little more about this budding Hollywood starlet, below you will find a short list of five interesting facts that will help you understand her better than most other people do.
She Hails From Scotland
Hailing from the rainy Inverness, Scotland, Gillan had always dreamed of being a world renowned actress. This prompted her to take the first opportunity she could to leave the haggis behind and head where she might be able to pursue her dreams. She left home at 16, set on making on making her name famous. While this didn’t happen right away, Gillan was able to make ends meet by dabbling with some modeling and was featured in London Fashion Week.
The Origins of Her American Accent
As a child Karen often played with Barbie dolls. While this is not uncommon for little girls to do, her fascination with American television actually gave her a platform to begin practicing with different dialects and accents. It was during this time that she got a firm grasp on her American accent, modeling her tone and inflection from the shows that she was watching at the time and then forcing her Barbie dolls to talk as Americans would. This would prove invaluable for her later portrayal of Nebula, Gamora’s sister in both volumes of the Guardians of the Galaxy film franchise.
Her Two Roles on Doctor Who
Whovians all over the world will recognize Karen Gillan. She portrayed Amy Pond for the series, being featured in 36 episodes. While this was the big break into the business that Gillan had always dreamed of, it would not have been the first time that she was featured in that same series. When David Tennant was still the Doctor, there was an episode of the series titled “The Fires of Pompeii”. In this episode, Karen Gillan portrays a soothsayer with makeup very reminiscent of her later portrayal of Nebula for Marvel. While only die hard Doctor Who fans might have picked up on that before now, you are now officially in the loop.
Shaved Her Head To Play Nebula
Many people do not realize that in order to give the character an authentic look, Gillan had to shave her head in order to play Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 1). The second installment allowed her to be able to keep most of her hair, but that is still a very palpable level of dedication to a role. Her cut off hair was surprisingly donated to the costume department working the set of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Plays Piano As A Hobby
When she isn’t working on a set somewhere or practicing lines, Gillan enjoys sitting around tickling the ivories. She is an accomplished musician behind the keyboard, who even writes original songs. Possible music career in the future? Only time will tell.
Here are some things that you likely didn’t know about Karen Gillan. While it seems like she might just be getting started in films, this is an actress worth knowing a little more about.
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