Mind Over Matter

Marvel star Karen Gillan learned a lot about herself in the past few years-including how vital a role exercise plays in both her physical and mental wellness. The actress's new agenda also includes plenty of time to reflect on her dreams and desires. Just call it superpowered self-care.

- By Vera Papisova

When actress Karen Gillan considers a new movie or TV role, she starts by taking an academic-style deep dive into the character's psyche. (Who are they? What motivates them? What hurt have they experienced?) Then she asks herself this question: Do I want to know what it's like to carry that pain? If the answer is yes, she'll sign on to the project. If it's no, she'll pass. That admirable curiosity about other people's lived experiences is what led her to arguably her best-known part to date: Guardians of the Galaxy's tortured bionic antihero Nebula (a role she reprises in this summer's Thor: Love and Thunder).

My favorite thing about playing Nebula is exploring what it feels like to be the scapegoated sibling within a toxic family dynamic, says the 34-year-old. Before I even got the role, that drew me to it. There's a lot of material there.

Nebula's familial situation is a far cry from what Karen experienced, growing up as the only child of two very supportive parents. Karen has been laser-focused on acting since age 13, when she filmed homemade horror movies and wrote letters to agents from her bedroom in Inverness, Scotland-a part of the country known for rolling green hills and medieval ruins. She later enrolled in the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London for a short time and landed her first breakthrough role as Amy Pond in the beloved U.K. television series Doctor Who. Though she's filming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in Atlanta when we speak, she lives in Los Angeles, wants to move to New York, and has never truly felt at home since she was a kid.