The Marvel Cinematic Universe is moving toward a very exciting time. Avengers: Infinity War will arrive in just a few months, uniting almost every major character in the shared universe in a battle against Thanos' forces. This will be the first time that the characters from James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy will be able to interact with the rest of the MCU, including Karen Gillan's Nebula. Gillan recently opened up about her inherent clumsiness, despite booking action heavy roles in Guardians and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. And she just told us one sequence from Vol. 2 that didn't go so well.
I recently had the chance to speak with Karen Gillan about her role in the new Jumanji film, where our conversation eventually turned into her acclaimed performance as Nebula. When I asked about her onset clumsiness, she revealed one stunt in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 that didn't go quite as well as planned.
Well, my friends describe me as four strings of spaghetti. I remember it was Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, there was this one stunt that was absolutely terrifying. And they just sprung it on us out of nowhere. It was me and Zoe Saldana, and Zoe Saldana is kickass. And I kick ass in a cerebral way. And she was like 'Ok, this is what we need to do. You need to jump off this rock, and avoid the metal plate that you'll be swinging towards.' And I was like 'Nope!' And so I tried a version of it, and all I heard was laughter coming from the monitors. They had to put my stunt girl in, and Zoe did it herself.
Despite being one of the MCU's most badass females, it looks like shooting as Nebula isn't quite the same as it looks in the final cut. Some serious editing and a great stunt performer are needed to bring Gamora and Nebula's physical conflicts to life.
Nebula and Gamora's plot line was one of the most fascinating aspects of Guardians 2, and the audience was able to peel back the layers of Nebula's past. They ultimately found their way towards an uneasy resolve, before Nebula departed to find and kill Thanos. The character was absent from the first Infinity War trailer, so it's unclear how she'll factor into that blockbuster's narrative.
Karen Gillan has been open about her clumsiness, and the irony that she keeps booking action heavy roles that require her to have full control over her physicality. As if playing the badass blue Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise isn't enough, she also had a fair amount of stunt and fight work as Ruby Roundhouse in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Her experience in the MCU no doubt helped her nail these sequences, although there are hopefully a fair amount of bloopers in the can as well.
You can catch Karen Gillan in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle on December 20th, and Avengers: Infinity War on May 4th. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
