Karen Gillan's Inverness auntie gets chance of stardom

Dr Who, Matt Smith, Caitlin Blackwood and Karen Gillan

WITH the same fiery red hair and porcelain skin as Dr Who actress Karen Gillan you can see why her auntie Heather Masterson might be on the ladder to stardom.

The 44-year-old acting novice has been picked by film director Jim Brown for a call-back audition to win a part in the next big Scottish film, Between Weathers.

She admits watching her famous niece — the former Charleston Academy pupil from Inverness — in the BBC series has inspired her to give it a go and will be asking her for a few tips.

Heather Masterson - Karen Gillan's auntie

Ms Masterson, from Millbank, North Kessock, along with 13 others from Inverness, is among 34 hopefuls from Scotland hoping to pick up a half a dozen speaking parts in the film which will be shot in Shetland this summer and stars singer Sharleen Spiteri, actress Dawn Steele and Taggart star Colin McCredie.

Ms Masterson, who has an eight-year-old daughter Natasha and two sons, Scott, 18 and Stephen, 15, went to the first audition, held last month in Eden Court, for a bit of fun.

"It was terrifying at the time," she said.

"It was such a rush when I got on stage. I’ve never been on the stage in my life and the more encourgament I got, the more I got into it. I think there must be something in the family."

Ms Masterson, who works as quantity surveyor at RAF Lossiemouth, also hopes her niece, who plays Amy Pond in the Dr Who series, will be able to talk her through the audition.

"Hopefully Karen will give me a one to one on acting and what to look out for," she added.

In 2009, Ms Masterson’s other niece Caitlin Blackwood, 11, who is Karen Gillan’s cousin and comes from Inverness, landed a role in Doctor Who, playing a younger version of her cousin’s character.

Over 700 acting hopefuls flocked to Between Weathers auditions at Perth, Aberdeen and Lerwick but it was in the Highland Capital on 8th April where the casting team were most impressed, inviting the biggest number of hopefuls back for a final call back.

"I think there certainly was a Karen Gillan effect in Inverness," said the film director Jim Brown.

"All the auditionees had a certain Celtic look and the girls were beautiful and you could imagine them living in the island with rugged background."

Among the others called back is Charlotte-May Gourdie (11) from Lawyers Way, Kinmylies.

Proud mother, Rhona said her daughter, a primary 7 pupil at Kinmylies primary school, has been attending TFX Theatre School in Inverness for six years and has performed at the Eden Court pantomime three times.

"I’m delighted for her," she added.

The film is described as modern-day David and Goliath story, with the aim to premiere in Cannes next year.