Karen Gillan has seen her celebrity star ascend since her time on the seminal British sci-fi series ‘Doctor Who’.  The actress was part of the ensemble for both ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and its sequel, and will soon be gracing screens in the new ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ film, but she holds a special place in her heart for the long-running BBC series, and she’s especially excited now that there is about to be a female Doctor at the TARDIS helm for the first time ever.

In a recent interview, Gillan talked about he feelings on the matter of Jodie Whittaker being cast as the Thirteenth Doctor:

“I’m more excited than ever! I think that was the best, most perfect choice. She’s an amazing actress. I can’t wait to see what she does with the role, and I’m just so happy that they’ve cast a female, because there have been so many skeptical people for so long. Questioning whether a woman can play the role! Which is so backwards, frankly. Of course a woman can play the role.”

When asked about whether her character, Amy Pond, would have enjoyed traveling with a female version of the titular Time Lord, Gillan responded:

“That would have been really cool, yeah! Although I’m always loyal to my Doctor, Matt Smith.”

Speaking of Smith – who last month hinted that he may be interested in returning to the role (if the situation were right) – would Gillan be interested in reprising her role as well?

“Yeah – I’d always be open to that. I’m always trying to get back in the Tardis.”

Gillan also confessed that working on her newest film, the ‘Jumanji’ sorta-sequel, was actually a dream role for her:

“I’m the biggest Jumanji fan ever! Yeah, I’ve decided I am it. It’s in my top three films of all time. It goes ‘2001,’ ‘A Clockwork Orange,’ and ‘Jumanji.’ And I just love it sooo much. And when I first heard that they were making a sequel to the film, I had this really strong irrational sense of ownership over it. I was like, ‘What are they gonna do with my Jumanji?’ And then I read the script and realized it was gonna be so special. And then I was like ‘OK – I need to be a part of this.’ I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get the role. It was one that I had to, not like fight for, but I did a lot of auditioning for.”

‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ premieres in American theaters on December 20, 2017; the Doctor Who Christmas Special will air on December 25, 2017.