Gillanarchy

It's said that life slows down in Los Angeles, as compared with brisker, more bustling cities such as London or New York.

But not for Karen Gillan. If anything life for the flame-haired Scottish actress has sped up since she moved to the West Coast 18 months ago.

She's made several movies in several genres - a romantic comedy (The List), an action fantasy (Guardians of the Galaxy) and a paranormal horror (Oculus). She has also shot a pilot for ABC called Selfie, which was recently picked up for a series.

"I'm not here on holiday," she explains in her suite at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

"I'm here because there's lots of opportunities career wise. Parts here are amazing for girls my age."

It was a film that brought her to L.A. in the first place - Oculus, a frightener from the producers of Paranormal Activity. She was in her childhood home in Inverness, when her L.A. agents demanded that she submit an audition for the film.

So Gillan set up a camera in her bedroom and called her father, John, a nursing-home manager.