Jodie Comer has come a long way from the poster-covered walls of her childhood bedroom in Liverpool.
As the breakout star of Killing Eve, Comer has fast established herself as one of Hollywood’s most talented imports having won a bevy of Best Actress awards and landing on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. In 2021, she’ll make her cinematic debut starring opposite Ryan Reynolds in Free Guy before appearing in the much-hyped blockbuster Last Duel with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
In the January issue of marie claire, the actor discusses her mum’s love (“[She’s] proud that I haven’t lost my [Liverpool] accent”), sexist double-standards and the experience of landing her first film.
“I remember [the audition] so distinctly,” Comer tells Alley Pascoe. “I’d just finished a six-month shoot on Killing Eve and flew to New York like a bit of a zombie. I spent the flight thinking about what I could do wrong and if I should call Ryan Mr Reynolds. I hadn’t done a film before; it felt so much bigger than myself.”
Reynolds – who is the lead actor and a producer on the film – recalls how Comer landed the gig almost immediately. “I remember breaking the scene after Jodie’s first three lines and looking over at Shawn to make sure that he was watching because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he says. “She took it to a whole new level. Jodie is one of those one-in-a-billion actors. She can do anything and be anything.”
And this month, she’s marie claire‘s cover star. Landing this cover is a full-circle moment for Comer. In her late teens, she appeared in the British high school series My Mad Fat Diary as Chloe, the popular girl whose best friend describes her as “the kind of girl who will be on the cover of marie claire sunbathing on a yacht”.
Nearly a decade later, here she is. “I mean, I don’t have a yacht, but I’m OK with that. Chloe would be way impressed,” says Comer.
Find the full interview in the January issue of marie claire, on stands December 10.