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W W W. S H O RT L I S T. C O M E V E RY T H U RS DAYE

Fresh from destroying Daleks in Doctor Who, Karen

Gillan takes on ShortList

I S S U E 1 5 6 / 1 6 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0

M I S S U N I V E R S E

...th

en

we

’ll

tell

yo

u t

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sto

ry

of

ho

w K

are

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as

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am

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oc

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OR

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here

’s c

erta

in e

tique

tte

invo

lved

in m

eetin

g so

meo

ne

for

the

first

tim

e; y

ou s

houl

d fin

d ou

t som

ethi

ng a

bout

them

, ke

ep c

onve

rsat

ion

light

and

lo

ok th

em in

the

eye

whe

n sh

akin

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nds.

H

owev

er, w

hen

that

som

eone

is s

ci-f

i’s

prim

a se

x sy

mbo

l, Ka

ren

Gill

an, a

nd s

he’s

dr

esse

d in

not

hing

but

five

-inc

h he

els,

ve

st a

nd h

ot-p

ants

, all

thes

e cu

stom

s re

quir

e a

cert

ain

degr

ee o

f con

cent

ratio

n.Lu

ckily

, Gill

an b

reak

s m

y tr

ance

by

bein

g a

youn

g w

oman

see

min

gly

unaw

are

of h

er s

tella

r st

atus

. “O

h, h

ello

!” s

he s

ays,

al

mos

t fal

ling

back

war

ds o

ff h

er s

hoes

an

d ex

hibi

ting

a lo

ok th

at b

etra

ys a

sen

se

of I-

can’

t-be

lieve

-thi

s-is

-hap

peni

ng-t

o-m

e, w

ith ‘t

his’

bei

ng th

ree

thin

gs: o

ne,

she’

s go

t a jo

urna

list h

oldi

ng h

er h

and

for

slig

htly

long

er th

an is

str

ictly

nec

essa

ry;

two,

she

’s in

the

mid

dle

of h

er fi

rst m

ajor

m

agaz

ine

phot

o-sh

oot;

thre

e, s

he’s

bei

ng

blas

ted

by th

e W

ind

Tunn

el O

f Fam

e —

an

d it’

s se

t to

‘torn

ado’

.A

sk s

omeo

ne a

yea

r ag

o w

ho K

aren

G

illan

was

and

the

best

ans

wer

you

cou

ld

have

exp

ecte

d w

ould

be

ston

y si

lenc

e.

Ask

them

now

and

you

’ll g

et a

n im

med

iate

re

ply:

Am

y P

ond.

Sin

ce h

ittin

g ou

r sc

reen

s as

the

sass

y, fi

ery

yet l

ovab

ly

oddb

all s

trip

-o-g

ram

in th

at W

PC

’s

unifo

rm, G

illan

, 23,

has

pro

ven

to h

ave

the

inde

finab

le a

ppea

l of B

illie

Pip

er (D

avid

Te

nnan

t’s s

idek

ick)

, in

that

the

assi

stan

t is

as b

ig a

pul

l as

the

Doc

tor.

She

’s g

one

from

jobb

ing

actr

ess-

cum

-mod

el to

on

e of

the

mos

t wel

com

ed fa

ces

in

T

PH

OT

OG

RA

PH

ED

B

Y L

EE

J

EN

KI

NS

4 2 / W W W. S H O R T L I S T. C O M

the nation’s living rooms. With the

photo-shoot finished, Gillan changes

into a more appropriate dress and joins me

on the roof of the studio…

So, how’s life been in the wind tunnel?

In many ways my life is exactly the same,

because we’ve gone on this whirlwind

journey and suddenly everyone’s aware of

us, but now we’re back in Cardiff in the

same studio doing exactly the same thing

we were doing last series. So it’s like

nothing has changed really. But obviously

outside of work things have changed.

Do you worry about your private

life getting out? Do you check your

dustbin for paps?

No, I don’t do that. I just try to keep my

personal life private. I think that’s the

healthiest thing to do, because it’s sort of

nice to have your own thing going on that

not everybody knows about. I think that

there are pros and cons, but I’m new to

this, so I’m not bitter and angry yet.

Could you cope with more fame? Or

would you do a Lohan?

I don’t know. I don’t think I wouldn’t be able

to cope with it, I don’t think I’d break down.

No, I don’t think I’d do a Lohan [laughs]. But

she’s been doing that from a very young

age, you know. I think it’s happened to me

at a nice time, where I’ve had some life

experience not doing this sort of thing, so

it just makes you appreciate what you’re

doing and to not get kind of swept up in it.

How does it feel being a role model?

That’s a tricky one. You’ve got to get the

right balance I think. You can’t live your

life thinking about how it’s going to affect

everybody else. You’ve got to have your

own life and do what you want to do, but

it is something I take into consideration

and I wouldn’t want to fall around drunk

or anything.

The level of recognition, whether it’s as

Karen or Amy (“At work people call me Amy

and I respond to it”), is alien to Gillan, pun

shamelessly intended. She was born and

raised in the elegant-but-nippy Highland

city of Inverness before taking acting

classes in Edinburgh at 16. She then

completed a degree at the renowned

Italia Conti drama school, though she’s at

pains to point out that there was “no

singing and dancing”.

Pre-Pond, Gillan’s credits were

mostly limited to bit-parts in TV dramas

such as Rebus and, in an episode called

The Fires Of Pompeii, a role as a

soothsayer in Doctor Who. This was

padded out by the occasional modelling job

and, if her comments of the ShortList

shoot are anything to go by — “I really

enjoyed that, that was so much fun” — it’s

something that comes quite naturally to

her. Gillan’s only regular gig in that period

was as the lead female member of the

ensemble on The Kevin Bishop Show,

something that required her to a) be

funny, b) do some rather convincing

impressions and c) wear very little

clothing. Now she’s usurped Bishop in

the household name stakes, there must

be scope for retribution…

Kevin Bishop often put you in

underwear or swimsuits. Would you

like to return the favour and have him

appear in Doctor Who in Speedos?

I think that he should definitely come and

do Doctor Who in a pair of Speedos

[laughs]. Definitely. Can you make that

happen? Make the call.

You did a few decent accents, too…

I do tend to slip into a lot of different

accents in conversation. But they’re

never very accurate. My best ones?

I can do English.

OK, you do it, I’ll rate it.

Isn’t the weather delightful.

Not bad. A bit Eliza Doolittle...

Oh dear. OK, Welsh. “Whose coat is that…”

Oh no wait that’s Geordie. [Laughs] OK,

wait, wait, wait… “Whose coat is that

jacket?” [Laughs] Oh no. Oh my God, look

at the size of that one.

Gillan lets out an almighty scream and

begins to run around with her hands

flapping about. My first thought is Daleks.

It turns out, however, that while her

alter-ego can deal with Earth-squishing

species called Zgwig, or something, for

Gillan, wasps are a very different

matter. Eventually the wasp leaves and

she sits down again.

So, any phobias?

Ha. Could be wasps and moths. Sorry

about that…

Do people look at you funny in

Inverness now when you order a

mocha frappalatte?

Do you know what, everyone is really nice

up there and I’m not just saying that. I think

they’re quite proud. I haven’t had any

abuse yet. It’s beautiful. Wherever you’re

standing in Inverness you can see just hills.

And we’ve got the Loch Ness Monster,

guaranteed. It’s there, I’ve seen it.

How Scottish are you? Have you eaten

a deep-fried Mars bar?

Yeah, I’ve had a deep-fried Mars bar. It’s

really good. You should try one, all

wrapped in batter. I went up to Scotland

the other day and my friend ordered a

pizza and it was battered [laughs].

What do you think you would have

done if acting hadn’t worked out?

I used to think I would be a psychologist

because that’s really interesting and I think

I’m quite good at listening to people’s

problems. Or maybe a hypnotist because

I’ve always wondered how they do that.

Luckily for Gillan, and perhaps the

nation’s mental health, the acting has

worked out rather spectacularly. Being

cast as the 11th Doctor’s assistant is no

recurring role in Holby City; Doctor Who is

not only a national Saturday teatime

institution, but an international cult

phenomenon, too. Its emotional subtexts,

blend of horror and comedy, plus its

intelligent approach to time-travel, mean

for sci-fi fans it is the epoch-hopping

show (sorry Quantum Leap).

Who buffs feel a genuine sense of

ownership and, in some cases, well,

Gillan very kindly describes them as

“passionate” and “protective”. If you want

to know how big it is, this year’s Christmas

special — according to Gillan “the most

Christmassy Doctor Who Christmas

special that has ever been” and so funny

and sad that “people will probably cry,

unless they’re dead inside” — stars Sir

Michael Gambon and features the acting

debut of Katherine Jenkins.

And of course there is another reason,

other than Gillan, to watch Doctor Who;

Gillan isn’t the only mere mortal to have

been thrust, via the time-space continuum,

into superstardom. Matt Smith, at 28 a

controversially young and almost equally

unknown choice to play the Doctor, has

also made a meteoric impact. Following in

the eyebrow-prints of David Tennant was

never going to be easy, but Smith erased

all memories of his predecessor thanks to

a gloriously defiant alien-scaring rooftop

rant in his first episode.

Billie Piper’s relationships with

Christopher Ecclestone and Tennant had

shown the importance of Doctor-Assistant

chemistry and Smith’s snappy, socially

awkward yet disarmingly naïve and noble

Doctor fits perfectly alongside Amy Pond,

with just the right degree of insecurity and

potential frisson.

What’s it like working with Matt?

Matt is so focused he really inspires me.

That sounds really cheesy, but it’s true. I’ve

never met someone so focused and he

never slacks off. He’s really driven. And his

approach to acting is really creative.

Rather than just reeling off the lines, he

changes it every time. It’s an intense day.

He takes it very seriously, but that’s not to

say it’s not fun. In fact, part of our taking it

seriously is messing around between

takes, because I feel like it’s us staying in

character and being silly.

Do you ever bicker?

No, not really. Only in a jokey way.

Does he call you names?

“Plural chin.” There are two apparently

[laughs].

Has he made bow ties cool?

I’ve got two answers to that, one as

Karen and one as Amy. As Karen, yeah,

I think he has [sighs].

What are nights out like with him?

Does he get Timelord groupies?

I think it’s mainly men you know, and

a lot of children [laughs]. It’s 24/7 for him.

I get it a lot of the time when I’m on my

own, but not so much when I’m with him,

strangely. You’d think they’d think “Ooh,

the Doctor and his assistant,” but they just

don’t notice me.

Are you secretly upset that you didn’t

get to kiss David Tennant?

No, I’m not, because, you know, I’ve

got Matt Smith, and he’s not a bad

kisser… [laughs].

You must get a fair bit of interest

from male fans. Do you go for geeks

or studs?

I don’t like studs. What does that

entail? Like arrogance and things? Like a

ladies’ man? I do like a guy who’s

chivalrous and I like a guy who is

passionate about something, so that’s

really important, but geeks tends to be

quite funny and humour is so important.

How do you kick back and relax?

Absolutely love X Factor. Saturday nights,

X Factor, ice cream, I’m crying. Snow

Patrol, as soon as that beat kicks in, I’m

gone. Part of me is like “This is ridiculous,”

while crying.

Can you cry on demand?

I can make myself cry initially, but to

sustain something like that is just

impossible take after take.

Have you ever made yourself cry

to make a boyfriend feel guilty?

Yes. I cry a lot, actually. I just

realised [laughs].

Any other guilty pleasures?

Gossip Girl. Should I be guilty about that?

What else do I like to do? I don’t know.

Oh god, I’m a really boring person. What do

I do? I eat quite a lot.

It’s clear that Gillan is enjoying her life at

the moment. She shares Amy Pond’s

slightly innocent charm, a kooky, almost

awkward appeal, but the similarity ends

there. She’s not, according to her,

the type to be domineering in the

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K A R E N G I L L A N

“I DON’T LIKE STUDS BUT I DO LIKE A GUY WHO

IS CHIVALROUS... GEEKS TEND TO BE QUITE

FUNNY AND HUMOUR IS SO IMPORTANT”

W W W. S H O R T L I S T . C O M / 4 34 3

What shenanigans

had Dr Crane got

himself into this time?

4 4 / W W W. S H O R T L I S T. C O M

way Amy is to poor downtrodden

spouse Rory. I want to sum her up in

one clever and insightful word, but the

best, the most fitting, is simply ‘fun’. Sorry.

Not that her approach to work is

frivolous. In fact, she takes it very

seriously, claiming she’s never looked back

at a day and thought she’s not worked

hard enough. When Rory died in the last

series, Gillan had to react, as Amy, to

losing the love of her life.

She decided that she needed to isolate

herself from the jolly japes on set and find

a “sad zone”. She ended up spending the

best part of a day sitting alone on top of

the Tardis.

For Gillan, Doctor Who is clearly

a priority, but also the beginning of

a successful acting career. Proper

acting, that is. And, if you think about it,

there are few better places to get an

all-round education.

She does comedy, romance,

drama, horror, action, science fiction,

period settings; throw in some

cowboys and you’ve got the full gamut.

It all bodes well for the future.

Have you got any Hollywood

ambitions?

I just want to do good projects in all

honesty. I went up to the Fringe in

Edinburgh and realised how much I want

to get back in to doing theatre.

Doing some sort of one-woman show

would be cool. I really want to do a big

range of good stuff. But there are

some great Hollywood films out there that

I wouldn’t say no to doing.

Who would you like to work with?

I’d like to do something with the Coen

brothers. I love No Country For Old Men.

And I love Whatever Happened to Baby

Jane?. I love films with a bit of a darker

side to them.

Would you shave your head for a part?

Yeah, I’d totally do that. I love my hair, and

it’d be the worst thing in the world but for

the right role — and I mean it would have to

be an amazing role.

Going back to the show, who would be

your dream villain in the next series?

Anthony Hopkins maybe. That’s quite

an obvious one, though. Hannibal Lecter

was pretty disturbing.

What kind of villain do you see him as?

Maybe like half spider... oh no that’s like

Spider-Man, he’s not a villain. Not as a nice

Spider-Man, a horrible spider.

What would you use time travel for?

Good or evil?

Evil.

Really? You’d conquer the world?

Yes. No, that’s silly. I don’t know. I don’t

think you should mess with fixed points in

history to put things right.

And finally, what’s the shelf-life for

Amy Pond? Or Pond life?

Pond life? [Laughs] First of all, thanks.

I think that she could last for as long as

we wanted to really. We actually barely

know anything about her past, so there’s

a lot more to uncover about her. So I think

there’s huge scope for more stuff. We’ll

have to wait and see.

Finally, did you keep the sexy

policewoman’s outfit?

No, I didn’t, and there’s a reason.

I assume you’re not going to tell us…

No.

The Doctor Who Christmas special

A Christmas Carol will air on BBC One on

25 December at 6pm

“I’D LIKE TO DO

SOMETHING WITH THE

COEN BROS. I LOVE NO

COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN”

D O C T O R W H O Q U I ZUnleash your inner geek by tackling our fiendish

Time Lord posers

1. Name the Series 2 plot

thread that was originally the

codename for Doctor Who used by staff when it was

rebooted by Russell T Davies.

2. Georgia Moffett played

the Doctor’s daughter in

a 2008 episode, but who

is her real-life father?

3. Eleven actors have played

the Doctor, but which one

served for the longest time?

4. Which of these

celebrities has never

appeared on screen in

Doctor Who? Richard

Dawkins, Ann Widdecombe,

Stephen Fry, Mike Skinner.

5. Which pivotal element of

the show involved the use of

piano strings and keys?

6. Which 20th century event

was partly responsible for

the first Doctor Who episode

being repeated the following

week in November 1963?

7. When did Freema Agyeman

— who played Martha Jones

— first appear in the show?

8. What was the name of the

council estate Billie Piper’s

assistant Rose Tyler lived on?

9. What role did crispy

coconut bites play in Matt

Smith’s debut series?

10. How was the girl who

played the young Amy Pond

in Series 5 found?

11. What were David

Tennant’s last spoken words

as the Doctor?

12. TARDIS stands for?

13. Name the fictional Prime

Minister The Master (John

Simm) disguised himself as?

14. What was unique about

the design of the alien

Abzorbaloff monster played

by Peter Kay?

The answers are at ShortList.com

K A R E N G I L L A N

F O R M O R E E XC LU S I V E KA R E N G I L L A N S H O TS

H E A D T O S H O R T L I S T. C O M

“No, the next line is, ‘You

bring your knees in tight...’”