There is something endearing about one of Hollywood’s biggest stars admitting that the first thing she does when she lands in Scotland is hunt down black pudding and scrambled egg. Karen Gillan has not forgotten where she comes from.
The Inverness born actor, now 38 and living in Los Angeles with her husband Nick Kocher and their baby daughter, was speaking about how much she misses home. “It’s the humour, it’s the dark humour, the humour in the face of adversity, which is something I always think is really Scottish,” she said. “Americans are not the same. I obviously love Americans. I married one. But Scottish people are so unique.”
Gillan is best known for playing Nebula in the Guardians Of The Galaxy films and Ruby Roundhouse in the Jumanji reboot. She also played Amy Pond in Doctor Who, a role that first put her on the map. When she gets back to Inverness, she walks the town, grabs a coffee, and visits Eden Court Theatre where she fell in love with acting as a child.
The big news is Highlander. The reboot of the 1986 film will be shot in the actual Highlands, and Gillan is beside herself. “To combine something that I genuinely love with the place that I love more than anywhere, which is the Highlands of Scotland, it’s like a dream come true,” she said. “I don’t know if this will ever happen again.”
The filming will also give her the chance to introduce her daughter to Scotland for the first time. Becoming a mother last year has shifted her priorities, though she admits she is still “figuring out” the balance between parenthood and movie stardom.
I think Scotland could do with more ambassadors like Karen Gillan. Honest, grounded, and still craving a proper plate of black pudding after all those years in Hollywood.