The Doctor Who, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Jumanji star also opened up about the challenges of raising a young child while filming
Karen Gillan loves returning to Scotland
Hollywood star Karen Gillan has revealed one thing she missed most about Scotland – black pudding with scrambled egg. And the Inverness-born actor, who now lives in Los Angeles with husband Nick Kocher and their baby daughter, admits she is “always wanting to come home” despite her success in the US.
The 38-year-old said it was hard to “distill it down” when asked what she missed most about her home country, but added: “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..
“It’s the gloomy weather and then and everyone’s in good spirits. Americans are not the same. I obviously love Americans. I married one. But Scottish people are so unique.
“It’s really hard to articulate, but I know it when I’m there and I can see it and feel it, and I want to get back to it as much as I can.” She said whenever she does make it back to Scotland, the first thing she does is “probably order black pudding and scrambled egg, anywhere that serves it”.
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She continued: “And then if I’m in Inverness, I like to walk around the town. I’ll get a coffee, (and) probably go to Eden Court Theatre because that’s where I grew up doing all of my acting classes and watching shows and falling in love with acting.”
Gillan, who became a mum last year, is perhaps best known for her roles as Nebula in the blockbuster Guardians Of The Galaxy films and Ruby Roundhouse in the recent Jumanji reboot. She also played Amy Pond in a recent series of Doctor Who, alongside Matt Smith as the 11th iteration of the Time Lord.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Karen Gillan in Jumanji 2
Current projects include the third instalment in the Jumanji series and a reboot of the 1986 film Highlander – which will be filmed in the Highlands and about which she said she is “so excited”. “I love the original Highlander,” she explained.
“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. I don’t know if this will ever happen again, where I get to make a giant film that I’m really excited about in the place where I grew up. It’s going to be worlds colliding.”
She added that the filming will give her the opportunity to introduce her daughter to Scotland for the first time, and that being “at home” will enable her to achieve an elusive work-life balance. In terms of how she is balancing motherhood with acting, she explained she initially took a year off, and just did some screenwriting alongside looking after her baby.
She continued: “But then I started on Jumanji again, and then I was back into my life as an actress. It’s just this ongoing thing of trying to find the balance. But I’m really really lucky in that I’m able to have my baby at work with me.”
Asked how the cast and crew reacted to her daughter’s presence she said: “Everyone loves having a baby on set. All the actors are trying to make her laugh, competing with each other.
Gillan first attracted widespread attention as the assistant to Matt Smith’s Doctor Who(Image: Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images)
“She doesn’t care about who anyone is, obviously, because she’s a baby, which is very funny. But especially my co stars, like Dwayne (Johnson), Kevin Hart and Jack Black, they’re so sweet with her, and it’s so lovely. And they’re trying to entertain her and sing songs to her. It’s really nice.”
Gillan is set to achieve another career first later this month when she appears on the label of the 2026 edition of Hedonism, a whisky by Compass Box. The image was created by artist Emma Hack and features the actor surrounded by a colourful garland of flowers and crops.
Gillan described it as “wild” to find herself on the side of a whisky bottle – but said it “makes so much sense”. “Whisky is something that I feel is a huge part of my upbringing,” she explained.
“I grew up in Inverness in the Highlands, going to whisky distilleries, and then when I was old enough to drink, actually trying different whiskies.” She added: “I’m always wanting to come home, and honestly I think that is a huge part of my enjoyment of whisky now, it’s a little way to transport myself back for a period of time.”
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