Highlander: Karen Gillan gives her verdict on Henry Cavill's Scottish accent in Highlander reboot
Karen Gillan has said that Henry Cavill has been “vigilant” about getting his Scottish accent just right for the Highlander reboot.
Inverness-born actress Karen Gillan has said that her Highlander co-star Henry Cavill’s Scottish accent is “bang on”.
The English actor will take on the role of immortal Scottish warrior Connor MacLeod in the upcoming reboot of the 80s cult classic, with Gillan playing his first wife Heather.
French actor Christopher Lambert played the titular character in the original film, with his Scottish accent considered among the worst ever committed to film.
However in an interview with Collider, Gillan has taken time to reassure the general public - and Scots - that Cavill is putting in the work to get it right, admitting that she is “pretty judgy when it comes to people doing Scottish accents”.
The actress referenced offensively stereotypical accents from the likes of Mike Myers’ as Fat Bastard in Austin Powers, but acknowledged that Cavill’s attempt met her high standards.
Gillan said: “When I listened to Henry, I was like, 'This is pretty bang on.'"
Karen Gillan says Henry Cavill was ‘vigilant’ about nailing Scottish accent
She further explained that he was keen to be precise and “vigilant about getting it right”, noting that he corrected people who mispronounced Gaelic words during production.
Speaking about Highlander in broader terms, Gillan shared that she had initially approached the project with scepticism. After reading the screenplay, she became convinced that the remake from John Wick director Chad Stahelski has something fresh to add to the Highlander canon.
The star said: “And the film's going to be beautiful. I mean, I love the script so much, and I love the original so much. I was also judging the script harshly, and I read it, and I was like, 'You know what? Actually, there are some improvements here that are going to make it even better.'
“Combine that with Chad Stahelski's amazing action sequence skills from the director of John Wick. Like, it's just sort of, for me, it's such a winning combination."
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However, the most attractive thing about the film overall was that it allowed Gillan to return home to work. In April this year, the production took over various locations in Scotland for filming including Eilean Donan Castle, Glen Affric and Glen Coe.
She said: “I got to shoot a Hollywood blockbuster in my neck of the woods with school friends, and then going off to set.
"I was like, 'This is the life. This is it.'"
There is no confirmed release date for the Highlander reboot yet, but it is likely to come out in 2027 or 2028.
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