Karen Gillan is red-hot thanks to 'Jumanji' and 'Avengers,' but her true passion? Directing

Karen Gillan has recently transplanted herself away from sunny Los Angeles to much-less-sunny New York City, and she couldn't be happier about it.

"It's cool here! I find it really inspiring," the actress turned filmmaker explained, FaceTiming in from her new digs on a crisp spring day. "I think I like to be a pedestrian - I don't know how to drive - I'm really pale and I like the colder weather because of where I'm from."

"L.A. doesn't lend itself to any of the things that I am," she quipped with a breezy smile. That's just fine with Gillan, who seems to find the bright side of most things. Besides, she points out, New York is practically halfway home to Scotland.

Back home is where her heart has led her, professionally speaking, as her acting success has dovetailed with a new itch to get behind the camera.

Gillan's coast-to-coast move coincides with major career milestones in a year in which she's already starred in "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," a December release that blossomed