Why Guardians Of The Galaxy's Karen Gillan Had A Wig Made Of Her Own Hair
In order to play the role of Nebula, the murderous mostly-android character in James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies, actress Karen Gillan had to undergo a lengthy and uncomfortable makeup process. According to makeup artist David White, Gillan's facial prosthesis was constructed of five specially fitted plates that would be glued to her over the course of about four and a half hours. She also had to wear incredibly thick contact lenses to black out her eyes and, to accommodate the cranial appliances, shave her head. Gillan shaved and remained bald throughout the shooting schedules of each of her Marvel Cinematic Universe appearances.
This meant that she was without hair throughout most of 2013, when the first "Guardians" movie was being filmed. One can find photos of that film's premiere, and see that her hair was still growing out.
Gillan's big break as an actress came in 2010 when she appeared as Amy Pond, the companion to The Doctor (Matt Smith) in the long-running sci-fi series "Doctor Who." She appeared in three seasons before stepping out (companions and Doctors step in and out with an expected regularity on "Doctor Who"). Amy was replaced by Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), but because nostalgia runs high on "Doctor Who," old characters come back on the regular; Gillan returned in 2013 to reprise her role.
According to a 2013 interview with Metro, "Doctor Who" executive producer Steven Moffat was anxious about her return, however. Because of Gillan's "Guardians" haircut, the makeup artists would have to outfit the actress with a wig that looked like her natural hair. Luckily, Gillan did them one better. She came to the studio wearing a wig constructed of the very hair the stylists cut off.
Not the only bald actor
Making wigs out of real hair, of course, is a practice as old as wigs. To this day, one can shave their own head and donate their hair to charities so that it can be made into wigs for cancer patients. Gillan, wanting to retain something approaching her preferred look, opted to keep her hair and have it woven into a wig for everyday use. For her "Doctor Who" appearance, she came in with her own hair, surprising Moffatt. It's notable that Gillan sports an incredibly vibrant shade of red hair, and there is a dialogue in "Doctor Who" that makes frequent reference to it. (There was one episode of "Doctor Who" wherein Amy Pond and The Doctor went back in time to meet Vincent Van Gogh, and they make several comparisons between Amy's and Vincent's hair.)
The 2013 special was also notable for the return of Matt Smith, who had retired from playing the role the year earlier. Smith, as it so happens, had just appeared in a supernatural thriller called "Lost River" that was written and directed by Ryan Gosling and co-starred Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan, Ben Mendelsohn, and Eva Mendes. For his role, Smith also happened to shave his head, so Gillan wasn't the only one wearing a wig for the 2013 "Doctor Who" special. (As far as one can tell, however, Smith's wig was not made of his own hair.)
Gillan's wig was constructed by Oscar-nominated "Guardians of the Galaxy" makeup artist Elizabeth "Lizzie" Yianni-Georgiou. She explained in an interview with Belgravia Centre that it was a meticulous lace-front wig, one of the more elaborate types. According to Yianni-Georgiou, Gillan wore that wig to all of the press events during that time. "I just thought if a young actress has to go out for auditions, you can't send her off with nothing," Yiannni-Georgiou said. "You've got to give her something beautiful."