Millie Gibson Opens Up About THAT Doctor Who Return Twist (& Her Future)

Millie Gibson returns to this week’s Doctor Who, reprising her role as Ruby Sunday, the Doctor’s companion throughout Doctor Who Season 1 on Disney+. Rather than reuniting Gibson with Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor, the new episode, “Lucky Day,” sees Ruby struggling to move on with her life after the exciting but traumatic events she experienced while traveling in the TARDIS. Surely a little romance would help, right? That’s where Conrad, played by Jonah Hauer-King, comes in. The podcaster has his own history with the Doctor, which helps form a commonality with Ruby, one that they can build a relationship. [SPOILERS AHEAD}

But Conrad isn’t exactly what he seems. During what should be a romantic getaway to meet some of Conrad’s friends, Conrad pulls a stunt that draws UNIT’s attention. It turns out, Conrad’s online presence goes beyond being an innocent podcaster, as he has a large network called Think Tank that helps spread dangerous conspiracy theories denying that anything UNIT does is real.

ComicBook had the opportunity to speak with Gibson about her return to Doctor Who and how the twist in “Lucky Day” struck her. Here’s what she had to say.

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What was it like returning to Doctor Who after some time away?

It was so nice. Returning back to that character is like returning home after a long day. You slot right in, you put your feet up, and yeah, it felt like home. I saw all my old friends from the crew again, and I think returning to Ruby in this new, mature light was really fun to delve into. She’s a little bit older, she’s a little bit wiser, and she’s been through all of what the viewers have seen her do in Season 1. I think it was a way to delve into what Ruby is like after, you know, PTSD, really, traveling with the Doctor and what happens when you see the world turn to dust and then just return home and pretend it’s all back to normal again. It’s a really cool concept to explore for a companion role.

How did you adjust your performance to reflect Ruby’s new maturity?

Because I play my age, it kind of incorporated into myself. It was almost like it came really naturally; I didn’t even really think. But to be fair, I am a little bit more monotone because she’s dealing with, even though she’s got her family back home again, that piece of her life is complete, she’s still waiting for the Doctor to come back in her mind. She’s still waiting for something to happen. After a journey like that, you can’t really return back to your old friends and just go back to how things are as normal. They all think she’s a bit mad. Whenever she tries to tell them about that time she chased goblins around London, they’re all like “What?” I think it’s quite hard for her to go back to normal.

“Lucky Day” is a Doctor-lite episode, where you share very few scenes with Ncuti Gatwa. It’s not your first of those, having filmed “73 Yards” for Doctor Who Season 1. How do you approach those kinds of episodes? Do you find them exciting or intimidating?

It’s exciting. It’s totally daunting because it’s like going into Harry Potter and it just being Hermione’s own episode, I don’t know. It’s just a different vibe because you’ve not got that anchor, you’ve not got that guide. But I think I was less nervous this time around than I was when I did “73 Yards” because I knew my character, I knew the space I was in, and the script, and that, instead of Ncuti, I had the wonderful Jonah [Hauer-King] guiding me along as well, and vice-versa, and he’s incredible. He lifts that episode in such a unique way, and I think viewers are going to be really, really interested in his character.

Speaking of which, there was an entire song and dance in Doctor Who Season 1 about how there’s always a twist at the end. Here, there’s a twist right in the middle. How did you discover that turn, and what was your reaction?

One thing I will say, the read-through for that episode was the best read-through I have ever been to. Honestly, everyone’s reaction to the bit we are talking about, especially Ncuti, he was like [gasp], you can imagine his voice, but it was hilarious.

I remember reading it and just being really, like, ‘Give this girl a break, man.’ She literally just found love in a way and opened herself up to someone else. It was a really, really cool twist because you think it’s going to be an Amy-Rory situation, but it’s obviously not. I’ve already seen, since the trailer has been released, some comments that are like, “Oh, I already know. He’s going to turn into a Cyberman. It’s going to break her heart,” and it’s like, nope, it’s nothing like that.

One other big development is the growing, somewhat maternal relationship between Ruby and Kate. Can you dive into that a bit, and whether it’s something you hope to explore further?

I, first of all, love Jemma Redgrave to pieces. Every time I see her name pop up on the call sheet, I’m like, “Okay, I’m safe. I have my Jemma with me.” Her as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart is just a badass, and I feel like you often only see that badass side of her. She’s captain of her own ship, so to see that kind of maternal love and nurturing sense of her that audiences aren’t used to, because she’s the one that everyone needs to be strong, the leader. She kind of, I feel, let’s her walls down for Ruby, and even though the characters have no idea that this scene happens, I always look back to the scene in “73 Yards” where Ruby rings up Kate and she’s like, “I don’t what to do, there’s this woman following me.” I remember that was my first scene with someone else, and meeting Jemma for the first time, I was this new kid on the block, and she really took me in and was just incredible, and I’m forever grateful to her for being so motherly and nurturing. She was my first mum, in a way, on that show. For them to incorporate that into Ruby and Kate’s dynamic was really, really special. I loved having Jemma back.

You followed Doctor Who with work on something a bit more grounded in The Forsyte Saga. Having done Doctor Who, do you find yourself eager for more of that special-effects-heavy sci-fi/fantasy franchise material, or are you craving more of that grounded drama?

I will go either way, wherever the wind takes me. They are both such cool directions for my career. With Forsyte, it was a really different challenge for me, and that’s what I always seem to chase. However, I think Doctor Who is its own machine, so going from that would be the best training ground ever to go into something else that has that same fantasy-type level of drama. I just love that world, so I’m more than up to going back into it, and I’ll be fully equipped with everything I need to know after doing Season 1. But either way, I would be very grateful to enter any world that anywhere puts me.

Doctor Who Season 2, Episode 4, “Lucky Day,” is streaming now on Disney+