Karen Gillan has given her verdict on Henry Cavill’s Scottish accent in the new Highlander movie.
The Inverness-born actress stars alongside the former Superman and The Witcher actor in the big-budget reboot of the 1986 cult classic, which filmed extensively in Scotland earlier this year.
Cavill plays immortal Scottish warrior Connor MacLeod, a role made famous by French actor Christopher Lambert in the original film.
Gillan, who plays MacLeod’s wife Heather, admitted she sets a high bar when it comes to actors attempting Scottish accents.
Speaking while promoting her new film Let’s Have Kids!, she said she was “pretty judgy” about Scottish accents before revealing Cavill had passed the test.
She said: “When I listened to Henry, I was like, ‘This is pretty bang on.’”
Gillan said Cavill had taken the accent seriously throughout production and was meticulous about getting pronunciations right, including Gaelic words being used on set.
The new Highlander is directed by Chad Stahelski, the filmmaker behind the John Wick movies, and has assembled a sizeable cast alongside Cavill and Gillan.
Russell Crowe plays Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez, the mentor character played by Sean Connery in the original, while Dave Bautista takes on the role of villain The Kurgan.
The cast also includes Djimon Hounsou, Marisa Abela and Jeremy Irons.
Gillan said she approached the new film cautiously because of her affection for the original, but was won over by the script and Stahelski’s plans for the story.
She said there were elements she believed could improve on the 1986 movie and described the combination of the story and the director’s reputation for elaborate action sequences as a strong one.
Filming brought Gillan back to the Highlands earlier this year, with the production shooting at locations including Eilean Donan Castle and elsewhere across the north and west of Scotland.
For the former Doctor Who and Guardians of the Galaxy star, making a Hollywood production so close to where she grew up proved one of the attractions of the project.
She has described being able to work on the film before meeting up with old school friends as getting the “best of both worlds”.
The new Highlander will retell the story of MacLeod, a 16th-century Highland warrior who discovers he is one of a group of immortals destined to battle each other across the centuries.
Amazon MGM Studios showed the first footage from the film at CinemaCon earlier this year, including sword fights, motorcycle sequences and a battle inside a nightclub.
Cavill was heard introducing himself as Connor MacLeod in a Scottish accent in the footage.
Production originally suffered a delay after Cavill was injured while preparing for the role, before filming began in 2026.
The original Highlander, released in 1986, went on to become a cult favourite despite initially struggling at the box office. It spawned several sequels and television spin-offs and became particularly well known for its Scottish setting and Queen soundtrack.