“Guardians of the Galaxy” star Karen Gillan made a bold statement when she went bald for the role of Nebula, but there is more to her character than a haircut.

Gillan, 26, explained to ComicBook.com the process of “discovering” Nebula was something that happened during the filming. Gillan and director James Gunn talked about the character and how she should portray her. Check out the best quotes from Gillan’s ComicBook.com interview below.

Gillan on her conversations with James Gunn:

“James gave me some really good notes, though. He said ‘Do you want to just try it as Marilyn Monroe?’ That’s a great note. That’s where the breathy American thing comes from. I thought that was a really clever thing. It was the main note and then we just saw the character form pretty much instantly. He also told me that Clint Eastwood and Marilyn Monroe essentially have the same voice. At first I was thinking ‘No...’ but they do! I think Clint might have based his voice on Marilyn’s, James was saying.”

Gillan on her reaction to shaving her head:

“Right after shaving my head I fell asleep. That’s really interesting to me. I must have been subconsciously really freaking out, and then I fell asleep, there and then, in the chair, for two hours. Nobody woke me up, which is weird because I didn’t know anyone on the set at that point, and so I was just the weird, bald sleeping girl. When I woke up I went to my actual bed and slept until the morning... and that’s when it really hit me.”

Gillan on what makes “Guardians of the Galaxy” unique:

“I think the appeal with Guardians is the tone of it. It’s different to all the other Marvel films, it’s really funny and the music is amazing. It’s not like a good guy being sentimental and saving people, these characters are really dodgy, they’re criminals and might turn on you.”