Karen Gillan on Jumanji costume: ‘It looks absurd with me in shorts and crop top… but we’re showing up this ridiculous male fantasy’

Karen Gillan says the backlash over the outfit she wears in the new Jumanji film is a positive thing — because it has sparked a debate about sexism.

There was widespread criticism over the poster for the movie, which features the Scottish actress in tiny shorts and a crop top, and her male co-stars in practical safari gear.

“Strangely I just saw it as a positive, Gillan said. “Everyone was right, when you look at that picture out of context it looks absurd that the woman is dressed like that and then the men are covered — but that is exactly the trope that we were highlighting in Nineties video games.

“She’s meant to be like Lara Croft, that’s the reference, this ridiculous male fantasy. So we had to go that way with the costume to make that point. The fact that the picture sparked that kind of debate I think is actually a positive thing for people to be having those conversations.”

Gillan rose to fame as the Doctor’s companion, Amy Pond, in Doctor Who, and has since starred on the big screen in films including Guardians Of The Galaxy.

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle is a rebooted follow-up to the 1995 film starring Robin Williams.

It follows four teenagers who are transported into the world of a video game inside classic avatars.

Gillan, 30, stars alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black as video game femme fatale Ruby Roundhouse, who is actually a geeky 17-year-old called Martha.

“That was the coolest part,” she said. “I was thinking when should I be Ruby and when should I be Martha in these situations? I was always Martha — and then Ruby Roundhouse would kick into action.

“It was surprisingly not a huge stretch for me just because I was like that as a teenager, just incredibly awkward and socially inept. I didn’t know what to do with my limbs.

“So I think that’s something that the director instantly recognised in me when I walked in the room — she is this girl. And yet, I play these action-style characters so I felt ready made for it.”

She said she would not have taken on the role of Roundhouse if the character had not had a level of vulnerability, which Gillan thinks is missing from most female action roles.

“The most important thing for me in the character was actually just seeing her discover her strength and find it and learn how to use it,” she said.

“More than just being a strong female, because we have a lot of strong females now, we’re sort of in danger of having a female stereotype in action movies where they’re just badass and strong and we’re too scared to show weakness in them.” She said she wanted to see the “Chris Pratt-style females in the action world who are funny and make mistakes and are flawed”.

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle is out next Wednesday