Karen Gillan
Doctor Who star Karen Gillan hit back at the "uproar" over her character Amy Pond's sexy demeanour - saying feminism was not the issue any more.
Gillan told the Radio Times she did not want "strong female" Amy to conform to a simple "girl next door" formula and her character would not just constantly stand around in awe of the Doctor.
The 22-year-old said Amy's short skirts are typical of what young women like to wear.
Kissogram Amy recently tried to seduce the Doctor in an episode of the BBC1 show, which is popular with children.
Gillan told the magazine: "I guess there was a bit of an uproar and I really didn't see that coming.
"I just don't get it with the skirts. It's what any girl on the street is wearing. I mean, Amy's not a schoolgirl, she's 21, pretty much the same age as me, and we all wear stuff like this."
Gillan said the relationship between Amy and the Doctor was one of equals.
She said: "Feminism is not the issue any more, not for me, anyway.
"It's just never occurred to me that a woman wouldn't be equal, in any sphere, to a man.
"It's nothing that has ever come up in my life and nothing I've thought about in terms of Amy.
"She's just a strong girl, woman, whatever. Oh, let's just say she's a strong female.
"And I really like that she gets to drive the plot sometimes and gets her own storylines.
"She's not just standing around in awe of the Doctor all the time."
Gillan suggested that Amy and the Doctor, played by Matt Smith, were unlikely to get together romantically as the Doctor sees Amy more like an annoying younger sister.
She said of Amy's occasionally suggestive behaviour: "It's part of who she is, but it's quite a small part.
"She's a normal girl with normal impulses. I suppose I find it hard to define the relationship between Amy and the Doctor - I think we all do - because there are so many aspects to it."
Gillan added: "Ultimately, I think they're like brother and sister - he's quite protective of her and they bicker like siblings do, but ultimately they'd do anything for each other.
"Sometimes, though, she's attracted to him, and that's when things get a bit more complicated.
"I don't think he sees her like that all. I think he basically still sees her as the little Amelia he met when she was seven.
"So when she kisses him, he's like, 'Ooh, this is all wrong,' and she's like, 'Why isn't he reciprocating?' So she pushes it a bit, just to test her power.
"But in the morning, she's back to being his annoying little sister again."
Gillan said she never wanted to base Amy on any kind of formula from the past - "to conform to what works - or what has worked - in a companion; you know, the whole, likeable, girl-next-door business.
"Amy is likeable, I hope, but she's not ordinary. She's quite complicated and there are layers to explore. So I was taking a few risks with her and I think it works."
Gillan said she could do "awe" - adding "but it's just not in me to hold it for long.
"I guess Amy's default attitude is 'Come on, impress me'.
"And she's not going to mope around when the Doctor's not there - she's going to do her own thing, whether it's fighting monsters in strange new worlds or just getting on with her life in her own village."
:: The full interview appears in the latest issue of the Radio Times.
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