The Guardians of the Galaxy films are not short of iconic characters. A talking tree, a cynical raccoon and a vengeful muscle mountain that doesn’t understand any irony. Over the course of three films, a holiday special and other Marvel spin-offs, two other names have emerged as valuable Guardians members: Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff).
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 wouldn’t be half as funny without Karen Gillan and Pom Klementieff
Introduced as henchmen for the respective villains of parts 1 and 2, they shine as full team members in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and are responsible for some of the best moments. For the theatrical release, we sat down with Karen Gillan and Pom Klementieff to talk about their Marvel departure.
Moviepilot: What does a day on the set of a Marvel film look like?
Karen Gillan: My day starts very early. zoe [Saldana] and I sit in the mask the longest. I usually get up between 3:30 and 4 in the morning and then I’m in the studio around 4:30. Sometimes it’s even earlier. I remember that once my driver even picked me up at 2:30am.
Pom Klementieff: I’m much more relaxed. When I get into the mask, Karen is halfway into Nebula. We then listen to a lot of music together and tell each other lots of jokes, depending on the mood of the day. Sometimes we just sit there and are silent.
Here you can watch the trailer of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3:
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 – Trailer (German) HD
Karen Gillan: Those are the moments when I keep sleeping with my eyes open. Once we’re done with the makeup, we put on our costumes and then it’s off to the set. It will take a while for the camera to start rolling. First we rehearse the scenes we want to shoot that day.
Pom Klementieff: At rehearsals we go with James [Gunn] through the script and talk about the structure of the scenes. Who is in the foreground? Who in the background? And where is the camera? This is very important so that there is no chaos when shooting afterwards. A set must always be well organized.
Karen Gillan: When we’re through with rehearsals, the final light settings will be made. And then it can finally start. We then shoot all the scenes that we have planned for the day.
How long does a day usually go?
Karen Gillan: Most of the time we stand in front of the camera for ten hours. There are also four hours for all the preparations. So in the end we come out at 14 hours. Since we shoot in Hollywood until everything is really in the can, it can sometimes be 18 hours.
Pom Klementieff: That’s a big difference between Europe and the US. In Europe there are stricter guidelines. The thing is, at the end of the day, you add another hour because you have to take all your makeup off. Although I’m lucky again: It takes longer with Karen.
Nebula and Mantis masks look very elaborate. How do you make sure your acting doesn’t get lost under all the makeup?
Pom Klementieff: To be honest, it’s not that much for me. People always assume I’ll be in the mask forever. Basically only the antennas are complicated. The rest is ordinary makeup. I also wear contact lenses in the close-ups. But that was about it. I don’t have any prostheses on my face. That would make it harder to convey different facial expressions really well.
Karen Gillan: Yes, I always wear a very thick mask. It’s a fascinating feeling when you can slip into the skin of a character like that. As an actress, I always try to put myself in the mind of my characters. And now I’m stuck right inside her. That influences my acting a lot and makes it easier in many ways. What’s also an advantage: With all the make-up I look a lot fiercer. I usually have a friendly face. Nebula, on the other hand, is edgy.
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Do you ever lose yourself in this immersive experience?
Pom Klementieff: No not true. That would be more method acting and I don’t think any of us pursue that. I honestly don’t have time for it. I want to enjoy the time on the set and not disappear into a role.
Karen Gillan: As soon as someone “Cut!” calls, we switch back to our normal selves.
How does James Gunn prepare you for a scene?
Karen Gillan: The most important thing is that he gives us enough time to rehearse, not only on the day of shooting but long before.
Pom Klementieff: Before the first day of shooting, we have two weeks to rehearse so there are no delays on the day itself. Nobody is as well prepared as James. He knows exactly how he wants to shoot a scene. Even his screenplays are outstanding. You really get a feel for the rhythm of the scenes. As an actress, I trust him completely.
Can you provide your own input when it comes to developing your characters?
Pom Klementieff: Since James is writing the screenplay, he sets the story and key developments for the characters. But once we’re on set and it’s all about the details, it becomes a very collaborative process.
Karen Gillan: I improvised a lot more this time. I don’t usually do this because I’m way too scared of it. But James was very encouraging. During the shoot, he usually calls out sentences that come to him spontaneously over a microphone. In Guardians 3 I improvised a few lines myself. Sometimes James finds an even funnier version of it. We just try a lot.
Pom Klementieff: Trust is very important here. No matter what we say on set, in the end we can trust James to only take the best takes in the editing room.
Karen Gillan: That also gives us the security and freedom to just let the mood on the set and the characters drive us along.
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Which scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was the hardest to shoot?
Pom Klementieff: That depends on what you mean by heavy. I find emotional scenes especially tricky because you have to keep the emotions fresh throughout the day. It’s easy at first, but the more times a scene is repeated, the harder it gets. And then there are scenes that are very complex from a technical perspective. The best example is the fight in progress. Everyone needs to know exactly when to be where so the camera can capture the action perfectly. In addition, a lot more people are involved in such a scene than in a simple dialogue. A lot can go wrong. It’s all the more satisfying when it works.
Karen Gillan: What’s added to the scene is that all the characters are fighting in one room at the same time. James wanted the scenes to feel like they were shot in one go and that made things a lot more complicated. There is an incredible amount of planning behind it. A cameraman flew over me. They hung him from wires so he could film the action. We really had to know exactly what we had to do, otherwise it would have gone horribly wrong.
What trick do you use to keep your emotions fresh?
Pom Klementieff: I think everyone does it differently, but I just try to be totally immersed in the moment every time we’re shooting the scene. Think into your character’s memories and then you can draw from them.
Karen Gillan: I try to do something different every time. As a result, something new happens in every take. I honestly don’t know if that’s the best way.
Pom Klementieff: In a production like this there are so many different takes of the same scene. Sometimes the camera is very close to you, sometimes it is watching you from afar. For us as actors, that means a lot of work. There’s no harm in breaking up an emotion to keep it fresh after multiple repetitions. Otherwise you fall into a routine and no longer believe in what you are playing.
Karen Gillan: Suddenly you say a sentence in a way you probably never would have done. And that’s often the best version. You have to be willing to try things, even if it doesn’t work out in the end.
Pom Klementieff: And then there are the moments when the emotions are real. There’s a scene at the end of the film where we all knew this was the last time we’d be on camera as the Guardians of the Galaxy. It wasn’t an act. The tears were real.
Looking back over the past few years, what is your most treasured Guardians memory?
Pom Klementieff: I could never commit to just one memory. But what I really enjoyed was going to work every day with these incredibly great people. We are all good friends and I am very grateful for that. I will miss the many moments between takes where we joked and talked.
Karen Gillan: I’m honestly impressed with how long we can talk to each other. With some productions there is an awkward silence because everyone is just looking at their smartphone. But we just got off a plane from Seoul and have been talking non-stop for 12 hours.
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
What should your characters legacy be?
Karen Gillan: The most exciting thing about Nebula for me was the toxic family dynamic. Thanos has always favored Gamora, making Nebula feel like she’s not good enough. First it is broken. Then there is a long healing process until she becomes the person she could have been from the start. It was very fulfilling to play this character for such a long time. The legacy I would like to leave behind with Nebula is that despite traumatic experiences in the family environment, you can build your own beautiful life.
Pom Klementieff: I’m very grateful that James gave me the opportunity to create such an idiosyncratic and unique character. I hope there will be more characters like Mantis in the future. Characters that are very strange and cannot be pigeonholed. Of course they already exist in other films. But in superhero cinema they are a rarity. The female figures in particular are very similar.
Karen Gillan: It’s really not often that a weird character like Mantis is played by a woman. Most of these are male roles.
Pom Klementieff: When I play Mantis I feel like Zach Galifianakis in The Hangover and I’m like, “No, she didn’t really say that!” Mantis is always doing so many weird things in the background. I love her so much.
Was Zach Galifianakis a direct inspiration for you?
Pom Klementieff: No not true. When I was preparing for the role, I was more geared towards beetles and praying mantises. Oh, and Mr Burns and Gollum.
What did you inherit from Gollum?
Pom Klementieff: The creepy voice. [Sie verstellt ihre Stimme und imitiert Gollum] My darlingzzzz!
And how about you, Karen, did you have specific role models for Nebula?
Karen Gillan: In the beginning I worked with a movement coach and a voice coach. When I got on set, James said, “Okay, let’s try something completely different – a cross between Marilyn Monroe and Clint Eastwood.” That American breathy voice…I can’t tell you how much that affected my performance. That one sentence changed everything.
What do you think is the defining Guardians of the Galaxy song?
Pom Klementieff: I’m Not In Love. i love this song And Creep from the new part.
Karen Gillan: I would say Do You Realize by The Flaming Lips.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been in cinemas since May 3, 2023.