For a star who does back to back major projects (Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Who, Jumanji, etc), actress, writer, director and filmmaker, Karen Gillan surprisingly manages to maintain a good dose of humor in everything that she does. On set, the Scottish artist wore a very open and light energy on her. Wearing a white AC/DC shirt paired with relaxed jeans, Karen greeted everyone with a smile, said hi and introduced herself to the team before she headed to glam and styling.

Gillan’s flair for creative collaboration was demonstrated during our photoshoot as well. The idea was to present contrasts. Hard and soft, harsh and delicate, flow and structure, order, and chaos - and she delivered. It helps a lot when a talent encourages and helps open up the level of creativity from everyone on-set.

For this special collectors’ issue, one of our fashion editors, June Suepunpuck, whose first job in the industry was actually in the costume department for Captain America: The First Avenger, 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, directed and starred in.

In 2020, Karen will be starring in The Call of the Wild alongside Harrison Ford, and also in an action thriller film called Gunpowder Milkshake alongside Lena Headey, Angela Bassett and Michelle Yeoh.

During the short interview, a lot of things unfolded that made us love Gillan even 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.

Karen on the high suicide rate in Scotland.

“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?”

A portion of the proceeds from Karen's issue will be donated to Mikey's Line, which is the largest suicide prevention hotline in Karen’s native country of Scotland. For more info on how to help, visit mikeysline.co.uk

See Karen tackling her next adventure and reprising her role as Ruby Roundhouse in Jumanji: The Next Level in theaters worldwide December 13th.