GALACTIC SIBLING RIVALRY
Space-travelling sisters duke it out
Think of Gamora and Nebula as the sisterhood of the space travelling adversaries. Yes, the siblings continue to battle in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
At a West Hollywood hotel, Gamora’s Zoe Saldana and Nebula’s Karen Gillan agree they are thrilled to return in full combat mode.
Saldana first honed her fight skills as the headliner in the action flick Colombiana, but is probably best known as Uhura in the Star Trek films. The former model Gillan will be forever linked to her portrayal of Amy Pond on the iconic British TV series Doctor Who.
Both share their thoughts on portraying Gamora and Nebula in the second Guardians superhero comedy now in theatres.
FIGHTS TO THE FINISH
The actresses are buddies off camera, but on camera it’s all about their clash choreography as the rivalry intensifies.
“I loved working on all of that stuff with Zoe,” Gillan says. “We have such a good time because we’re very opposite to our characters.”
“Karen is very feminine,” says Saldana. “And she’s goofy and a little clumsy, and let’s be honest, these sets are dangerous.”
They avoided serious injury thanks to the fight team that trained them. And Gillan says when in doubt she listened to Saldana’s coaching.
“Zoe’s literally teaching me how to fight while we’re doing it,” Gillan says. “She’d be like, ‘Turn your head like that, and you strangle someone like this, and you’re going to look cool.’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, thank you.’ ”
MAKING UP IS HARD TO DO — ESPECIALLY EVERY DAY
Starting at 2:30 a.m. each day, Saldana and Gillan endured more than four hours in the makeup trailer to become their alien beings.
“So you can’t eat,” says Saldana of the long and involved procedure. “And you can’t really move around that much because they need your hands, your face and your mouth needs to be shut ...” And she enjoys conversing, “so I talk in between.”
Gillan, on the other hand, used the process “as a ritual to get into character.” She recalls, “I did this rehearsal as Nebula one time, not under makeup, and I just didn’t feel like her.”
The transition turned out to be imperative. “I literally get to wear her skin, which is like the closest I can get to Nebula,” Gillan says.
THEIR DEVOTION TO CHARACTER BUILDING
“I care so much about Nebula I feel like I’m her lawyer,” Gillan says. “I’m here to explain to everyone why she’s justified in being a really mean villain.”
Indeed, the sequel explains that Nebula always felt she suffered the consequences of being the unfavoured adopted daughter of evil demi-god Thanos.
“So I was excited to explore that ... and to get to portray that side of her.”
Saldana’s Gamora tends to be less emotional. As director James Gunn explained to her, “You’re like the Clint Eastwood of the (Guardians).”
Despite the differences, Saldana says the sisters eventually understand “there’s this increasing desire to belong and be accepted and be loved and not be abandoned.”
GAMORA AND NEBULA ARE FAVOURITES AT FAN CONVENTIONS
“It’s like Wayne’s World, ‘We’re not worthy,’” says Saldana.
“You feel so lucky that you got to play a character that impacts people.”
“It’s pretty different to Doctor Who,” Gillan says.
“But I guess it has its similarities, as well. People are so passionate about it, so that’s what I love about sci-fi in general.”
WHAT’S NEXT ON THEIR AGENDAS
Gillan co-stars in the remake of Jumanji with Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart.
Saldana, who reprises her role of Neytiri in the next three James Cameron Avatar films, has a specific wish for her future list.
“I would love to be in Dune,” she says of the cinematic redo of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel. “And I’ve heard that (Quebec filmmaker) Denis Villeneuve is thinking of revisiting it.”