Karen Gillan

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Birthday:

28 November 1987, Inverness, Scotland, UK

Birth Name:

Karen Sheila Gillan

Height:

178 cm

Karen was born and raised in Inverness, Scotland, the daughter of Marie (Paterson) and John Gillan, who is a singer and recording artist. She developed a love for acting very early on, attending several youth theatre groups and taking part in a wide range of productions at her school, Charleston Academy.At age 16, Karen decided she wanted to pursue her acting career further and, studied under the renowned theatre director Scott Johnston at the Performing Arts Studio Scotlond. She later attended the prestigious Italia Conti academy in London. During her first year, she landed a role in Rebus (2000) and soon appeared in a variety of programs including Channel 4's Stacked (2008) and The Kevin Bishop Show (2008), as well as a two-year stint in the long-running series Doctor Who (2005). Karen also stars in the film Outcast (2010), starring James Nesbitt. Her most recent starring role is as Eliza Dooley in "Selfie" (2014),When she's not acting, Karen likes to play the piano and loves rummaging through vintage clothes shops. Show less «

[discussing Amy's relationship with the Doctor] She (Amy Pond) doesn't take his (the Doctor's) word as gospel and she's always happy to chal...Show more »

[discussing Amy's relationship with the Doctor] She (Amy Pond) doesn't take his (the Doctor's) word as gospel and she's always happy to challenge him. If he tells her to do something then she won't necessarily do it, she might go off and do her own thing which can sometimes create a rift between the two of them! They are best pals though and it's a very up and down relationship because they are both very passionate people. Show less «

Matt Smith is an incredible actor and it is going to be so much fun to act alongside him. I just can't wait to get started.

[on winning the role as Amy Pond in Doctor Who (2005)] I am absolutely over the moon at being chosen to play the Doctor's new companion. The...Show more »

[on winning the role as Amy Pond in Doctor Who (2005)] I am absolutely over the moon at being chosen to play the Doctor's new companion. The show is such a massive phenomenon that I can't quite believe I am going to be a part of it. Show less «

I got a recall to come in and read with Matt [the eleventh Doctor] and that was quite funny, actually, because, I wasn't allowed to tell any...Show more »

I got a recall to come in and read with Matt [the eleventh Doctor] and that was quite funny, actually, because, I wasn't allowed to tell anyone that I was auditioning, what I was auditioning for, not even the people in the reception of the place that I was going to. So I had to give them a code name of 'Panic Moon'. It was fun but it was actually an anagram for 'companion' which is quite clever. Show less «

I am legitimately Scottish. I can officially say - yes. Yeah, I am from Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland.

To be honest, I wasn't really a huge follower of Doctor Who (1963) before I got this part. I mean I knew it was huge, but ... I was nothing ...Show more »

To be honest, I wasn't really a huge follower of Doctor Who (1963) before I got this part. I mean I knew it was huge, but ... I was nothing like my mum, who's a proper diehard Whovian. She's got a Tardis money-bag, and Dalek bubble-bath. But having read the first episode I was utterly smitten, and with the character. Amy's a sassy lady, funny and passionate, and her relationship with the doctor has a really interesting dynamic. Show less «

He's just really unlikely as a hero - which makes him so brilliant, I think, because he's like this mad professor. (On The Doctor)

I wasn't horrifically bullied. There was some name-calling but nothing awful. All kids get teased about something. And this was quite an obv...Show more »

I wasn't horrifically bullied. There was some name-calling but nothing awful. All kids get teased about something. And this was quite an obvious feature. When you're really tall and ginger and white at school, you're going to get it. Show less «

[on Oculus (2013)] I love horror films so much. I like being scared. I want to be in good films, obviously, rather than cheesy ones. And som...Show more »

[on Oculus (2013)] I love horror films so much. I like being scared. I want to be in good films, obviously, rather than cheesy ones. And some horror films can be quite cheesy. I love watching them but I don't necessarily want to be in them. Show less «

[asked about some directors she'd like to work with] I want to work with Michael Haneke, the Austrian director, more than anything in the wo...Show more »

[asked about some directors she'd like to work with] I want to work with Michael Haneke, the Austrian director, more than anything in the world. Can you make that happen for me? I love his films so much. He's my favourite director in the world. Show less «

[on Michael Haneke's movies] I like his films because I like big films as well but they're far more manipulative, like we're going to make y...Show more »

[on Michael Haneke's movies] I like his films because I like big films as well but they're far more manipulative, like we're going to make you feel sad at this point, then the music kicks in and you know what you're supposed to feel, and they're telling you what to feel, but Haneke's stuff is just this really unbiased view of events, and you choose how to feel about it, which is fun for me. Show less «