KAREN GILLAN
The fan favourite talks biceps, burgers and the Doctor’s binoculars…
Fessing up to what she stole from the Tardis.
What’s the first thing you do when you get to set?
When I was shooting Jumanji: The Next Level, the first thing I would do is an arm workout. When you’re in a film with The Rock, you’ve got to do at least five minutes on the biceps! When I directed The Party’s Just Beginning, everyone was looking at me for all of the answers. It was just surreal. So cool. And basically I had all the answers, because I wrote the piece, visualised it, and storyboarded the whole thing.
What on-set superstitions do you have, if any?
I actually really try to stop any superstition from getting too powerful in my life. If I allow it to build, then it could take over. I’m prone to that. I’ve definitely had things in the past, like an old pen from a script that someone had given to me because I was nervous and he was like, “I always have this with me when I do nerve-wracking things. You can have it.” So I took it, and it went really well, and I was convinced that the pen was the source of all my powers. So I got rid of it [laughs].
Do you take your phone on set?
I always have my phone, and it’s always hidden on the set! If we’re in a spaceship, it’ll be under the console. In Jumanji, it was hidden in the jungle. I’m so bad! I never used to do this. I remember being on Doctor Who and frowning upon phones on set. I just got sucked into this bad habit. I think it’s because there’s so much downtime in the bigger movies.
Hot or cold lunch?
It’s always hot. I don’t like cold food in general. And I don’t worry about energy lulls, because I will just have some fruit, so it’s natural sugar, in that afternoon period. I’m pretty well-behaved with the food. On Jumanji, they had someone cooking all my meals for me, because I had to play a very athletic hero. This incredible woman called Sam Eastwood monitored everything that I ate. I felt incredible. She was putting all these oils in which really help your brain. But then I’ll have a blow-out every so often. Sometimes they’ll order Shake Shack [burger] trucks to set. I’ll indulge in that.
Do you ever sleep on set?
I used to do that in my early twenties. But now I can’t nap anymore, and it’s devastating. I’m obsessed with getting a lot of sleep.
Best ever on-set experience?
Oh my goodness. Hmmm. My first day on Doctor Who. I don’t think anything can compare to that level of magic at that time of my life. I was 21, and I’d come from complete obscurity to be thrown into a very prominent television show. It’s just like from zero to 100 to actually be on set. I remember looking at Matt Smith, and we were both like, “How did we get here? What is happening?” And it was really fun. I was fearless at that age, like, blindly optimistic. So I was just enjoying every second of it without even worrying about the weight of the situation.
Worst on-set experience?
I remember on one of the Guardians Of The Galaxy films being dropped from the roof of the studio, in freefall, and then caught at the last second by a machine that was controlling the wire. And I remember being like, “This is worse than any theme park I’ve ever been to.” For a few seconds, it was the worst… and then it was the best!
Have you ever stolen anything from the set?
Yeah. I took a pair of binoculars from the Tardis, because I felt like I deserved them. I’ve still got those. I’m looking at them now, in my living room. They’re good! JG
‘I CAN’T NAP ANYMORE, AND IT’S DEVASTATING. I’M OBSESSED WITH GETTING A LOT OF SLEEP’