Karen Gillan has revealed that her Hollywood success is fuelled by a 'fear of being a low value individual'. The Inverness-born actress, 37, made the admission in an interview with Photobook Magazine, in which she also discussed her struggles with anxiety and her plans to direct a horror-thriller.
Ms Gillan, who has starred alongside the likes of Tom Hanks, Emma Watson and Ryan Gosling, said: 'What motivates me is a combination of genuine passion for what I get to do for a living. I love making films. I absolutely love it. So it's a combination of genuine passion and also a fear of being a low value individual.'
The former Doctor Who star, best known for playing Amy Pond, added that she is often 'riddled with anxiety', particularly in social settings. Reflecting on her past, she said: 'If I could change one thing about my past, I would tell myself to enjoy myself a little bit more rather than being so riddled with anxiety. But that's more in social settings than anything else.'
Asked to complete a sentence about herself, she replied: 'Karen Gillan is strange and silly and scared of being ostracised.' The comments come after her return to the red carpet in June for the premiere of her latest film, The Life of Chuck, a science-fiction adaptation of a Stephen King story, held at the Hollywood Legion Theater in Los Angeles.
Ms Gillan welcomed her daughter Clementine with husband Nick Kocher in December, and in April shared a photo from her first photoshoot since becoming a mother, writing: 'First day back at work post baby. How do you do photoshoots again?' Having found fame as a companion in Doctor Who, she has since gained international recognition for her Marvel role as Nebula.
