How excited were you to come into this Avengers film?

First of all, I couldn’t believe it that Nebula was going to enter into the Avengers environment. I’m actually shocked that Nebula lasted in two Guardians movies, let alone Avengers movies. When they told me what I had to do, I just couldn’t believe it. It’s such an exciting storyline that my character gets, and it’s all linked to Thanos (played by Josh Brolin), her father. It feels like these seeds have been planted for literally years now. So it’s exciting to see them come together.

What is going on with Nebula?

Nebula has always had a clear agenda throughout the Guardians movies, which is to seek revenge on her father Thanos because of the abuse that she has suffered and the terrible upbringing that he inflicted on her. So to see that intertwine into the whole Avengers storyline is pretty satisfying for me.... 

Where is Nebula as far as her sister Gamora is concerned?

They’ve made some progress. At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Nebula and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) had somewhat of a breakthrough where they started to empathise with each other a little bit and understand where each other is coming from and their point of views. Through that they had a physical embrace, which I think Nebula has never experienced. But that was too much for Nebula, and so she just got out of there. When we pick it up in the Avengers movie they’ve definitely made progress, but they’re still separated.

Were there any characters you were looking forward to working with?

There were so many characters I wanted to work with in the Avengers. I love them all. But I was particularly excited about Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. Just because I love him as an actor and I love what he does with the character. I had heard that he improvises a lot, so I wanted to see that in person. I certainly saw that in person, and then I was just in the middle of it improvising with him as Nebula. I just thought that was a really cool career moment.

Was it fun to play Nebula more integrated into the group?

It’s so much fun to see Nebula finally have the sense of family that I think she always craved. Ever since she was a kid she just wanted her sister, but she was forced to fight her sister. So she never had that sense of family. Then in the Guardians movies she was kind of invited into the family but was still hesitant because she’s essentially an abuse victim. So she has her hesitations about entering into any sort of family scenario. But now in the Avengers movie she actually kind of finds herself. 

Talk about Nebula’s emotional journey in the film.

I love my character in particular because of the emotional baggage that she comes with. She suffered such abuse from her father who happens to be the ultimate Marvel super-villain, Thanos. So we’re all fighting against him, and with Nebula it’s sort of an explosion of emotions because of her past and what she experienced with him. The whole thing is a very emotional, bitter, maybe weirdly cathartic, experience for her.

Is it fun to play such a strong female character?

For me, I love playing a character that is, first of all, physically really strong. That just feels cool and empowering. And she’s emotionally strong in ways, but she’s also damaged emotionally. She has strengths and weaknesses like any other person or being. And that’s what’s interesting. I don’t want to play just a strong female. I think we’re at the point now where we need a bit more variety on that. And that is exactly what Marvel movies are supplying us with. So that makes me happy.

How is Josh Brolin’s performance as Thanos?

I just love the relationship between Nebula and her father Thanos so much, just on the page between the characters. But I am so lucky that such an incredible actor is playing him. Josh Brolin is one of the best out there, so whenever I’m acting opposite it makes it really easy for me to play my character because he’s playing his so well. He’s so sinister, and he brings a little bit of humanity to a character that could potentially be a little one-dimensional, like the scary villain. But he’s not that. He’s so much worse than that and so much more. It’s a little unsettling in the best possible way.

What is your favourite part of this process?

Working on a movie of this scale is so exciting because no expense is spared. Just the effects are incredible. The sets are awe-inspiring. The whole thing is just gigantic. So that’s really cool. But ultimately what it boils down to for me is character. I love my character so much.... 

How has the camaraderie been during the down time?

Hanging out with everyone on the set is one of the best parts of this job because it does have this large, extended family feel. My immediate family, the Guardians of the Galaxy are there. And then it’s like I get to hang out with all of my cousins. And it’s fun. We’ll eat lunch together. They carve out enough time for us to do that. So there’s a lot of socialising that goes on while in costume and makeup, which is just absurd to look at.

How was it going toe to toe with Thanos?

Nebula’s prior knowledge of her father, Thanos, is extremely helpful when it comes to working with the Avengers because everybody’s fighting against him. But Nebula has experienced him her whole life. So she sort of knows his next move and what he’s thinking. That definitely comes into play when everybody has to work as a team against him. Also she’s very angry towards him, so she has a lot of pent-up resentment on her side.