“It has been one hell of a ride,” Karen Gillan, aka Guardians Of The Galaxy’s Nebula, tells Supanova ahead of Vol. 3’s premiere.
Writer/director James Gunn’s highly anticipated third outing with the beloved band of misfits will mark the last entry in the franchise, so it’s not surprising that emotions are high when Gillan, joined by Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Zooms in to discuss the film.
(L-R): Dave Bautista as Drax, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, and Karen Gillan as Nebula in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo by Jessica Miglio. © 2022 MARVEL.
“We feel so grateful to have worked with James Gunn and help bring his vision to life with amazing people and actors, and it’s been such a beautiful journey,” Klementieff notes.
Gillan adds: “Yeah, it’s emotional to think of it as the end… we have formed a real-life family in a way. I just feel so grateful to have had the experiences, but also sad that it’s coming to an end and I’m not ready to actually accept it.”
Gunn’s farewell to the Guardians is intense from its opening minutes; our heroes are “upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past”, according to the film’s official logline. Choosing to focus on Bradley Cooper’s Rocket to close out the trilogy was something Gunn had envisioned years ago.
The filmmaker has previously been quoted as saying that Rocket is the character he feels closest to.
Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
“This is a little animal who was taken and turned into something he shouldn’t be and felt completely ostracised and alienated from every other life form in the galaxy and was angry because of that and angry because he’s scared,” Gunn has previously stated.
“That loneliness is the center of the Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s funny because people think of them as lighthearted movies and fun movies but everything that drives it is that emotional center of Rocket and the other characters who are all outsiders, who don’t feel as if they really belong.
“But the cracks start to open up a little bit between some of the characters, so they start to love each other.”
When pressed for more details on exactly what threat the Guardians are up against in Vol. 3, Gillan and Klementieff remain tight-lipped.
“I’m always nervous about giving away spoilers,” Gillan laughs, “but we are dealing with a high evolutionary and he wants to wreak havoc on the galaxy. Someone very important to us is in great danger… I’m treading so carefully…”
“Yeah, it’s a tough one,” Klementieff reiterates, before warily adding, “we need to save the person… the thing [laughs].”
You’ll have to head to the cinema on May 4 to find out exactly how the journey ends for our heroes when Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3 opens nationwide.
