“When I saw both of them, I was like, ‘OK, I’m ready to jump into this now.'”
Karen Gillan reckons that incoming Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa will “inject a new lease of life” into the beloved sci-fi show when he takes over as the Fifteenth Doctor.
The Amy Pond star – who appeared as the Eleventh Doctor’s companion between 2010 and 2012 – made the comments while speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com to promote her role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.
After first expressing excitement that there would once again be a Scottish actor playing the Time Lord, Gillan revealed that she was overjoyed with the casting of both Gatwa and Millie Gibson (who will play new companion Ruby Sunday).
“My first reaction to both of them being cast was excitement,” she said. “I sort of feel like they’re going to inject a whole new lease of life – like it really got my attention. When I saw both of them, I was like, ‘OK, I’m ready to jump into this now.’”
She added: “And it’s just exciting, and it’s new, and he’s clearly brilliant because I’ve seen him in other things. So I think it’s a really good piece of casting.”
Gillan is one of many former stars of the series to have sung the praises of the Sex Education star since he was cast in the role, with her former co-star Matt Smith calling it “the most sensational bit of casting” during an interview last year.
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Meanwhile, Gillan has herself been linked with a possible return to the show for this year’s 60th-anniversary celebrations – with some fans speculating that she could join other returning faces including David Tennant and Catherine Tate.
Asked what she made of those rumours, Gillan explained: “It’s always nice when people appreciate anything that you’ve done. But no, it’s cool to see that people are still intrigued by Amy Pond and whether she could return. Maybe, maybe not – I don’t know!”
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