The idea of acting might seem glamorous to an outsider. In the world of movies, thrilling car chases, sweeping ballroom dances and declarations of love abound. But it isn’t all glitter and witty repartee. Just ask Guardians of the Galaxy star Karen Gillan, who shared a decidedly inelegant look behind the scenes of her upcoming film Dual.
Karen Gillan posted some studio footage on Instagram of herself attempting to record a vomit-voiceover for Dual. (Trigger warning for, well, vomit sounds.) It’s simultaneously hilarious and disgusting:
It's actually really hard to make convincing vomit noises when you’re not, you know, actually vomiting. Still, Karen Gillan put her best foot forward. In her Instagram caption, she said she’s recording ADR, i.e. Automated Dialog Replacement.
What is ADR? It’s a technique used in filmmaking that disguises any unintentional sound picked up by the cameras. Like, for example, an actor tried to say their line, but someone’s phone started ringing. The actor would re-record their line in a soundproof studio, and the editor would loop that recording over the visual. It’s used pretty often, especially for more unusual sounds, so a vomit scene fits the bill.
It sounds uncomfortable to be making those noises, but Karen Gillan just keeps laughing the whole time. It probably helps that 1) she’s naturally delightful, and 2) she had Dual director Riley Stearns in the room to ‘direct’ her vomit sounds. Talk about wanting every aspect of a movie to be just right. If Riley Stearns is as detail oriented with the rest of his film, Dual should turn out great.
How does ADR vomit relate to Dual? The movie will tell the story of a terminally ill woman (played by Karen Gillan), so it’s possible that will come into play. Said woman creates a clone of herself that will live on after she dies, but when she makes a one-in-a-million recovery, she ends up having to duel her clone. Only one Karen Gillan can be left standing.
We already know that Karen Gillan can handle action thanks to her role as Nebula in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so watching her literally fight herself sounds like a good time to me. Ironically, we also saw two versions of Karen Gillan in Avengers: Endgame, when Nebula confronts her past self. Hey, the more Karen Gillan, the better.
If you share my opinion, I’ve got some good news. In addition to Dual, Karen Gillan is expected to return for the fourth movie in the Jumanji franchise. She is also starring in the upcoming Netflix thriller Gunpowder Milkshake alongside Game of Thrones actress Lena Headey, not to mention the Judd Apatow movie The Bubble. And, of course, Nebula is showing up in several future Marvel movies, including Thor: Love and Thunder. It seems like everything’s coming up Gillan.
