GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE'S KAREN GILLAN (FULL INTERVIEW)
*This interview first appeared and was published at A BOOK OF’s COLLECTOR’S PRINT ISSUE
PHOTOGRAPHER: IRVIN RIVERA
For this special collectors’ issue, June Suepunpuck, whose first job as a costume designer was actually in Captain America, chatted with Karen in Los Angeles and talked about centering one’s self, growing up creative while having her parents as collaborators whenever she creates her films, her love for horror and classic rock, the effect of clothes and costumes on her and her overall performance whenever she takes on a role and more. This interview also touches on her projects, Jumanji: The Next Level, playing Amy Pond in Doctor Who, and The Party’s Just Beginning- a film that she wrote, acted on, and directed.
FASHION STYLIST: GABRIEL LANGENBRUNNER, MAKE-UP ARTIST: MELANIE IGLESIAS, HAIRSTYLIST: BRIDGET BRAGER, STYLING ASSISTANT: KRISTINA DOUGHERTY, PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: BRI MARANGA, LIGTHTING: JONATHAN GUTIERREZ, MAGAZINE LAYOUT: PHIL LIMPRASERTWONG, INTERVIEW: JUNE SUEPUNPUCK, SPECIAL THANKS: MATT BAUER
Karen stars in The Call of the Wild alongside Harrison Ford, and also in the Netflix action thriller film Gunpowder Milkshake alongside Lena Headey, Angela Bassett and Michelle Yeoh.
During the short interview, a lot of things unfolded that made us love Gillan more. She’s one of the few inspiring working female artists in Hollywood whose inevitable option forward is to level-up. Her candid and light demeanor, her mission to help prevent suicide, her sense of optimism, and how her great combination of passion, hard work and talent can inspire people to go to the next level.
The interview started with a brief breathing exercise. (Both June and Karen took deep breaths)
J: Hi Karen, how are you feeling?
K: I’m feeling good. Especially after that nice exhale. It made me feel really relaxed.
J: It’s really centering. Isn’t it?
K: (Exhales) I need to do that more in my life.
J: Do you feel like (Inhales deeply) a lot of times because there’s so much going on?
K: Yes. Especially right now. There’s so much going on especially with all the different projects that I’ve got but it’s really exciting at the same time.
J: You’ve got 3 Jumanji’s right?
K: So this is the 2nd one that we’ve done. Potentially a 3rd one. We’re hoping a 3rd. I would like a 3.
J: I think we’re hoping for a 3 cause it’s such a fun movie. And obviously other people know you as well as Nebula from Avengers and from Guardians of the Galaxy, and Amy Pond from Doctor Who. I think the traditional fans are like, “yeah she’s from Doctor Who!”
K: The ones that know me from that- they have a lot of ownership over it. They’re always like, “She’s always gonna be Amy Pond!” and I’m happy to always be Amy Pond. I’m okay with that.
J: I think it’s a pretty iconic character and all of the characters that you’ve done, you were able to put your stamp on it. I think it’s pretty fabulous that you’ve been able to do that. Do you think that with all the chaos going on, do you still have a way of centering to get into the mind frame of all these different characters? Cause sometimes they overlap, no?
K: Yes they do sometimes overlap. You know I don’t know what exactly my process is in terms of centering myself in terms of getting into roles. I think seeing myself in the mirror kind of finishes the idea for me. I have this idea in my head of who this person is gonna be or these things I’ve written down about them, or all the character traits and then I see myself and I put on the clothes and then I can feel what they feel like and then it just clicks into place.
J: So my background is in costume design and my first job was with Marvel. My first job was in Captain America. So it’s really interesting to be able to see my actors and actresses get into character. How big of a role do you think costumes and the clothes do for you?
K: Huge. As I said, I see myself in a mirror and it helps me suddenly understand this person. For instance, especially in the Marvel movies to be really functional; by looking at any human being you can tell a lot by the way they’re dressed.
J: Absolutely.
K: Who they are or who they want to present themselves to us. So it’s really interesting for me to see what my characters look like while looking at myself and it finishes the process for me. I’ve done a lot of groundwork, and broken down the script, I’ve analyzed the character and all the actions and then I see myself on them and then it suddenly all makes sense. And that have hugely to do with the costume.
J: Right. So after doing those roles with these very, very intense costumes, do you usually come out and be yourself in jeans and this AC/DC shirt?
K: It’s so cute. I love this T-Shirt.
J: Is this iconically you?
K: This says a lot about me. First of all I made everyone listen to classic rock during this photoshoot. Sorry (laughs)
J: I don’t think anyone complained.
K: I felt it was fun for all. I really like classic rock. I just love it.
J: There’s something earthy about it.
K: I like to listen to it on the way to work or to meetings and I’m ready to seize the day. It’s the music to seize the day.
J: So in the trailer, before you go into the scene, is this something that you do? Do you crank up the music and go “this is the time, let’s get into this character”
K: I don’t know if I do that right before I go into scene. It depends on whether if I have time. Usually what happens is that everyone is running late and everyone is like “Get to set immediately!” and there’s no time for anything. It’s pretty crazy.
J: I can imagine that it’s been really crazy for you. And on top of that not only are you acting in so many wonderful big movies but you’re also writing and directing. And this is kind of an evolution of a new exploration of your personality. So what do you think about that? It was 2018 when The Party’s just Beginning was out.
K: Yeah last year!
J: It felt like ages ago at this point.
K: It really does. I finished the movie so long ago. And I felt like I just moved on as a filmmaker so much. And I’ve learned so much and I’ve watched so many different amazing movies since then. But I would just make a totally different film though. It’s kind of funny that you sort of have to live in the past a little bit when you’re a filmmaker.
J: So what is the next thing Karen? Tell us. Do you know?
K: I will give you one hint. Horror. Do you love horror films?
J: I love horror films! Legitimately. I grew up reading R.L. Stine and Stephen King at 12. So I am in it to win it.
K: Wow.
J: I like Zombies a lot.
K: I don’t mind a zombie.
J: And Paranormal. I’m more of a ghost lady.
K: I like ghosts. You know I grew up watching these cheesy 90’s slasher films like a process of elimination- I know What You Did Last Summer, Scream, we’re talking those guys. And then I graduated to the Exorcist and The Shining when I was a little bit older. The Shining was my favorite film of all time. I love the psychology of the whole thing and Jack Nicholson was Amazing.
J: And also it’s like a pacing thing.
K: It’s a slow burn. But you know that when it kicks off it’s really going to and it’s really earned by that point as well.
J: Absolutely
K: I think we pace things a lot differently now because of our attention span so it’s nice to revisit the golden era when you can just sit there and watch something for like 3 hours
J: And just kind of soak it in. But I feel like in your film, what I feel like is haunting about it is actually the pace. That’s for me, at least. You were able to balance a good amount of heavy scenes
And for those who don’t know, it’s about suicide, and ultimately suicide is one of the main themes, and it can be such a heavy, daunting topic, but the way that you cut it with comedic moments was really a relief as a watcher because it’s that tensed knuckle-gripping type of emotion and I felt myself tearing up quite often during it. I got goosebumps.
K: I’m sorry It’s making me happy that you cried. For me, as a film maker, that means it worked!
J: I think it’s such an important film for people to watch especially in America. I’m looking at the statistics. It says according to the American Psychological Association, there are 10-14 suicides per 100,000 people. The hotlines are so important of course. Mikeysline.co.uk is something that you’ve talked about.
K: Yes, it’s very important to me just because it’s a text service in the area where the film was set. It’s where I’m from, Inverness, at the top of Scotland where the suicide rate is really high among young men. Much higher than the rest of Scotland or Europe I think. Their service is incredible and it’s all anonymous. It’s helping a lot of people out there to communicate. Especially men who have a harder time conveying their emotions and they don’t want to appear vulnerable or show weakness. I think we all need to work hard to make sure that it’s not seen as weakness to show your emotions.
J: Right. And I think what’s really wonderful about the film is that it addresses that male issue, and you as the lead protagonist, as Lucy, I can feel your desire to want to communicate so badly and wanting to connect- to your parents, to whomever. It’s like those lost moments that you noticed that you’re just like, “oh just tell her. Just reach out. Just speak.” What were your thoughts on trying to get that character involved as well.
K: I think I definitely wanted to tackle the subject matter because I read the statistics and thought that’s really strange because it’s a beautiful place to grow up and why is this happening there? But I want to write my first film from a female perspective because I am a female so I was like this is the way that I can tell the story best- from my own perspective. Hence, the character being a young female. And then I kind of drew inspiration from my own life but really the main storyline is fictional and based on the statistics and then there’s moments of inspiration in all of the supporting roles.
J: I want everyone to watch this because the awareness level that comes from watching it is potent also because it did hit a lot of heavy themes. For you, was it important to hit a lot of different themes in one movie or was it just all-encompassing when you’re creating the character?
K: I honestly don’t know if I was even that calculated about it. I just read the statistics and thought I wanted to tell a story about this thing from my own perspective and that was about it in terms of the thought processes on the themes.
J: Cause they’re very specific. We’re hitting transgender. We’re hitting suicide. We’re hitting a lot of other themes.
K: I know. And I didn’t even have a political agenda at all. It just happened naturally from inspiration from people that I’ve known or heard about and I’ve combined them all- all the stories and different characters. Also I thought I was making a fairly light film. (laughs)
J: Oh my god are you kidding me? (laughs)
K: I know. It’s funny. We’re tackling this heavy subject from quite a light standpoint- well that was because at the time when I wrote it, I have been watching so much European cinema that it is light in comparison. It’s Lars Von Trier.
J: I think that’s really wonderful with all the different characters that you have. I mean, even Nebula, she’s like a dark character in so many ways but then you have this side comment where it’s like, all right the whole audience is laughing because you brought that comedic side. So do you think that within you, you’re tapping into all that different parts of you, is that part of your personality, were you like that as a kid?
K: I would say that I like being silly as a person, definitely. And I like injecting characters with humor because no one is just one thing. People are everything. We all have our funny moments, our dark moments, our sad moments, or elated ones.
J: We’re all complex creatures
K: Exactly. It’s nice to show that in characters for sure. And also, I would say that people who have faced a lot of adversities in their life could be really humorous because it can be a coping mechanism. So it’s nice to use that in my characters as well.
J: So when you’re going through difficult times are there any ways you can channel that? Obviously writing is one way, but are there any other ways that can help you get through it?
K: I feel like I’m a pretty positive and optimistic person. So even when bad things happen, I have obviously moments when I feel sad, disappointed, or wish that something didn’t happen, but obviously those moments can lead to good moments if you allow them to. You know if you’re in a point of your life when you’re happy, all of the bad moments got you there, so therefore you have to be grateful for those too, otherwise you won’t be there.
J: Absolutely. That’s also another way of being able to get through a lot of hard times and teach other people in a way because it is- like your character Lucy, she was spiraling, in a way, and she allowed the spiral to carry her and that’s a choice that one can make. Do you think that after this movie, you’ll come back to more serious themes?
K: I think it’s definitely possible, yeah. I don’t really have a master plan for my directing and filmmaking career. Yeah I can see myself returning to those themes. They’re pretty interesting to me. The psychology of the whole thing is really interesting to me so yeah I think I will be back.
J: You have mentioned in an interview that you used to do little films as a kid with your parents. So do you think that having your parents be the characters in your films, was kind of a nurturing source. Were they creative? How was that for you growing up?
K: My dad loves singing. He sings 24/7. That’s his creativity. My mom not so much on that side of things but she loves horror movies. So I kind of got this creative streak from my dad and a love for horror from my mom and I was like I’m gonna make horror films as a kid. And I would cast my parents in roles. I would kill my dad. My therapist would have a field day with that. But honestly I had such a good relationship with them and still do. And he was just really game to be an actor in the film.
J: That’s definitely supportive parents.
K: Oh my god I know. I’m like wow, he really gave it his all.
J: I mean I know people have already said this but I think people would love to see those movies.
K: I have actually gone on a mission to find my favorite horror film. I just bought this VHS player but my tapes don’t work because they’re not American. So I need to find a UK player somewhere.
J: With the new movie, Jumanji: The Next Level, that’s obviously a very wonderful, comedic and very active character as well. Did you have to go back into martial arts training?
K: I have to do a lot of Martial arts training actually. It can be physically demanding. After a day of shooting a fight sequence I am just comatose. But it’s so rewarding as well. I never studied martial arts really, so it’s this whole new area for me. I think I’m looking less like spaghetti now.
J: I do think that when you are meant to play all these different characters, it can be so draining in your life in tackling all that and having all the relationships that you have to be obligated to as well. What’s the balance? Do you have any advice?
K: That’s a tough one! I think I need someone to give me that advice to be honest. I just go to work and then I get on facetime and repeat.
J: It’s like a shampoo, rinse, repeat type situation.
K: But I’m taking some time-off now. Apparently, but not really, but it’s fun. I like my job. It makes me really happy.
J: Do you ever find it difficult to have your passion but it’s also your job?
K: I mean I feel so lucky to have that. Because I won’t be able to do something this much if I don’t feel passionately about it.
J: To wrap things up, so we’d love to know, If you were a book, what book would you be and why?
K: (gasps) My mind is really going into a dark place but I don’t really wanna say it.
J: Say it.
K- Veronica Decides to Die. Have you read it?
J: I haven’t. Bu the title itself says a lot.
K: But there’s a very positive message in there about living and what that means.
