Entertainment Movies Karen Gillan Celebrates 34th Birthday with Throwback Clip from Horror Movie She Made at 13 "Thinking about submitting this to @sundanceorg," Karen Gillan joked of the homemade horror movie she directed at age 13 By Glenn Garner Glenn Garner Instagram Twitter Glenn Garner is a Writer/Reporter who works heavily with PEOPLE's Movies and TV verticals. Since graduating from Northern Arizona University with a dual major in journalism and photography, he got his professional start at OUT Magazine, The Advocate and Teen Vogue, and he's since consistently kept his finger on the pulse of the LGBTQ community. His first book The Guncle Guide was released in 2020 and was featured on Katie Couric's list of 100 recommended books of the year. People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 28, 2021 06:53 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Karen Gillan/Instagram; Inset: Amy Sussman/Getty Karen Gillan is reminiscing about her earliest years in the film industry. The Scottish actress celebrated her 34th birthday on Sunday by sharing a throwback clip from her "real directorial debut" in a homemade horror movie she helmed at 13 years old. Gillan also played the killer in the scene, while her dad portrayed one of her victims. "To celebrate my birthday I thought I'd share this little teaser for a horror film I made when I was 13 years old. My real directorial debut," she wrote in the caption. Karen Gillan on Her Directorial Debut and Nebula Confronting 'Daddy Issues' in Avengers: Endgame "I made my dad act in the film and made @donnatello876 my trusty camera operator," Gillan wrote. "I will post the full video if I can get my Dad to agree to let me share. For some BAFFLING reason he seems reluctant for people to see it…" "Featuring some of the worst acting you'll ever see but some of the BEST wallpaper you'll ever clap eyes on. Swipe for the gruesome ending. Thinking about submitting this to @sundanceorg. You think it'll get in? Enjoy. Try not to get too scared. #daddydaddydaddy." Gillan's sophomore directorial outing (previously reported as her debut) came in 2018 with The Party's Just Beginning, which she also wrote and starred in. Set in her native Inverness, Scotland, she played Liusaidh, who goes through a downward spiral following the death of a friend by suicide. RELATED VIDEO: Karen Gillan Opens Up About Her 'Challenging' Role in The Party's Just Beginning The Guardians of the Galaxy actress previously told PEOPLE about the "very interesting experience" of directing herself in a film for the first time. "Normally, I'm so used to having a collaborative focus where I can turn to someone for reassurance or bounce ideas or have conversations before trying it out," she explained in December 2018. "It's ridiculous. I would give myself four or five options and then I would construct the performance and the edit."