Karen Gillan and Late Bloomers Creators on That Epic Diaper Scene and More

You can’t guard the galaxy from destruction if you can’t guard your own well-being. Fan-favorite actress Karen Gillan has stepped into what she just described as one of her “favorite things to perform,” and it’s not a Marvel or Jumanji franchise installment. Late Bloomers, now in theaters, proves Gillan is captivating even when reduced to a hospital bed and/or crutches, as she hobbles across Brooklyn in search of true love, purpose, and the meaning of family.

We last spoke to Gillan amid the release of her film Sleeping Dogs, which also starred Oscar winner Russell Crowe. We recently caught up with her again, this time in Los Angeles alongside Late Bloomers’ writer Anna Greenfield and director Lisa Steen for a hilarious group interview about their inspiration behind the film, real-life injuries, diapers and the “unsexy sex scene,” and Gillan’s highly anticipated upcoming movie The Life of Chuck.

Anna Greenfield Brings Her Broken Bones to Late Bloomers

In Late Bloomers, depressed and heartbroken Louise (Karen Gillan) breaks her hip one drunken night and ends up in a physical therapy ward with patients twice her age. She crosses paths with and slowly becomes the quasi-caretaker of Antonina (Margaret Sophie Stein), a cantankerous elderly Polish woman who speaks no English.

Gillan may not have broken any bones yet in real life, but that certainly didn’t hold her back from giving an authentic and hilarious performance here. Writer Anna Greenfield, on the other hand, experienced a lot of what happened to Gillan’s character, Louise. And from there, why not turn it into a movie? “I remember the doctor in the hospital being like, ‘What did you do? This is not normal,'” she said, in describing her injury that usually happens to folks much later in life.

Late Bloomers Was ‘One of [Karen Gillan’s] Favorite Things to Perform’

Gillan went on to describe her love for the role of Louise in particular.

This has been one of my favorite things to perform so far because, well, first of all, I know Anna is such a great resource because she’s lived through this. And so it was like a perfect starting point for me, like the real deal.

“And so I spoke to her, and then I was like, ‘I need to also inject myself into this a little bit,'” added Gillan. “Because it feels like that might just be good for it.’ It feels like I had license to be sort of as strange as I wanted to be. And so I would say that this performance is pretty close to who I am in a situation [like this].”

On Diapers and Karen Gillan’s ‘Unsexy Sex Scene’

Late Bloomers features a handful of standout moments featuring Louise and her new partner-in-crime, Antonina. One highlight in particular is when the caretaking Louise tries to get the stubborn Antonina to bite the bullet and put on a diaper. “When I was reading the script for the first time, that’s when I knew I was going to go after this role,” said Gillan. “I just thought it was such an iconic scene.”

Another highlight comes in the form of funny man Jermaine Fowler, who plays Gillan’s lazy, wise-cracking roommate. “He brought so much like great energy, but also talent and thoughtfulness to the set,” said Greenfield.

“I met him on this film. Just immediately, I’m like, ‘This guy’s great, so funny.’ I just really enjoyed acting with him,” added Gillan. “He’s such a brilliant actor in such a funny performer and person… There’s a very unsexy sex scene [at one point].”

A Small Indie in New York

Late Bloomers basks in its Brooklyn-ness, and director Steen spoke about the Big Apple-set influences behind her new film:

“We wanted the film to kind of feel timeless, because
it’s about these two different generations, and to not feel like it’s in a specific generation’s viewpoint
. So all the stuff that we referenced kind of had that timeless feel. Like, we referenced, weirdly, Blue Valentine, even though that’s a much different movie,
Frances Ha
, even though it’s shot completely differently — I think the kind of integration with New York City and
Frances Ha
is something that we kind of emulated.

Fans of Gillan’s are perhaps more used to seeing her saving the world from destruction, in bigger-budget films like Guardians of the Galaxy, so seeing her in a smaller effort like Late Bloomers might come as a shock at first. “It’s nice to have variety for sure,” she said. “My job is always the same, though… whether I’m in space or on Earth playing a normal person, I’m just trying to do it truthfully. But there is something nice about a small indie film. You get through so much material in a day. You really find your groove.”

Looking ahead, Gillan remains thrilled about her upcoming role in Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of a Stephen King story: The Life of Chuck. “What’s interesting is that it’s not really horror,” she said. “If you know the short story, you’ll know that. But it’s beautiful. I feel like he’s created a masterpiece… I’ve just never seen anything like it before. It’s sort of experimental and just gives you an existential crisis… I just cried for days afterwards. And that sounds really dramatic and funny, but it just was one of those things that really stays with you for a long time.”

In the meantime, from Vertical, Late Bloomers is now playing in theaters.