Jodie Comer at the 2023 Tony Awards in New York. Photo: Invision
Jodie Comer finally killed Killing Eve. Her Best Actress Tony win in the Broadway one-woman production of Susie Miller's Prima Facie confirmed the Liverpool actress as a once-in-a-generation talent. A star that can radiate warmth and vulnerability as easily as dripping menace while killing someone with a hairpin. She can finally move on from the iconic Killing Eve shot, in which her character, sociopathic assassin Villanelle, struts around Paris in a flowing champagne dress.
Stars often take to the stage after winning Hollywood and are looking for something to do. But for Comer, a West End debut last April at Prima Facie (which later moved to Broadway) was the equivalent of a hard brake and reset.
After Killing Eve, she struggled to find roles worthy of her talents. She was reduced to the role of a spectator in Ridley Scott's Ben Affleck and Matt Damon two-hander The Last Duel, and underused opposite in Ryan Reynolds' video game romantic comedy Free Guy. The worst moment came in the terrible Star Wars sequel, The Rise of Skywalker. Sunrise», where she played the stunt role of the mother of the heroine Rey. Comer was in danger of becoming a meme, a special effect to be used in productions to trade for the visibility she'd earned with Killing Eve.
The irony was that even when she struggled on screen, she was the perfect A-lister off screen. Unstellar and understated, Comer looks natural on the red carpet. She has also conquered the US talk show circuit, where hosts who have never before encountered a Liverpool accent in the wild are smitten with her homegrown Mercy charm.
But with Prima Facie, she rebooted. She plays a London lawyer who cynically makes a living dealing with sexual harassment cases only to face change when she is raped. Her character was implicated in a system in which the victim was put on trial just like the defendant, and must now navigate the moral labyrinth she had a hand in creating.
If the production was a hit in London, in New York it gave Comer a «On the Waterfront» moment («On the Waterfront,» turning Marlon Brando into a star). Prima Facie confirmed that she is not only a charismatic leading lady, but also one of the most promising actresses of her generation. In terms of window displays, her performance on Broadway was second to none — with a steady stream of Hollywood influencers. How glad she must be that she chose to star in the original West End production rather than Joaquin Phoenix Ridley Scott's Napoleon biopic (which she turned down due to a post-COVID-19 scheduling conflict).
Susie Miller based Prima Facie on her own experience as a lawyer in Australia. However, the image of an anti-women justice system resonates just as strongly in London and New York. Prima Facie also did what Ridley Scott and Ben Affleck couldn't, turning Comer into a movie star. Last year's NT Live screenings grossed £1.95 million in five days, topping the Reese Witherspoon-produced adaptation of the bestselling Where the Crayfish Sing.
Comer has already done the impossible by making us empathize with the killer in Killing Eve. But now she was performing an even greater miracle—drawing multiplex viewers to one woman's complex play about the injustices of the legal system.
Jodie Comer in Ridley Scott's The Last Duel. Credit & Copyright: Patrick Redmond
She seemed cheerfully unperturbed during all these ups and downs. She's so well-adjusted that even Twitter posts about her relationship with lacrosse-playing New England heir James Burke haven't been able to lead her astray. While filming Free Guy in Boston, she «fell in love» with Burke. Then there were reports that, lo and behold, Burke was a registered Republican—theoretically a supporter of Donald Trump. Social media had an impact, but Comer refused to acknowledge the backlash.
“It was really shocking,” she told InStyle magazine in late 2020. “It was the first time I was dragged into something like this. And it wasn't just me; it was my family. I saw the absurdity of what was being accused of me and my partner. For the sake of my own health, I decided that I would not try to convince these people otherwise.
So what's next? In the short term, she refuses blockbusters. She recently wrapped filming for director Jeff Nichols' The Cyclists, an introspective exploration of sixties biker gangs in which she plays the wife of Elvis star character Austin Butler. Comer then stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in The End We Begin, a climate change drama set in a London ravaged by apocalyptic floods. She's also set to appear in The Big Swiss, an HBO sex therapy comedy directed by Adam McKay. McKay previously directed the Legacy pilot, so if Big Swiss catches fire it could be a sensation.
Jodie Comer in Villanelle's role in Killing Eve Credit & Copyright: Sid Gentle Films
These projects will no doubt prove that her talents were worth it. They will also highlight her versatility as she moves from being a character (The Cyclists) to comedy (The Great Swiss). However, after that, there is no limit to what she can achieve.
Her acting skills and ease of publicity make her the perfect spokesperson for awards season design. But she's also a fantastic physical actress. In Killing Eve, she didn't just capture the moral void in the wounded Villanelle's heart. She brought a real bite to murder scenes. Villanelle didn't just kill people: she strangled, stabbed and shot them, and Comer filled this mayhem with an inner crunch.
She was just as assertive in Loose Guy, playing an action hero in a video game whose specialty was cycling and machine gun shooting at the same time. Free Guy was a parody of gaming culture, and her character was written as a caricature. But Comer sold explosive parts. If she wanted to, she could easily turn into an action heroine.
In other words, Comer could be the next Jennifer Lawrence, the girl next door to win an Oscar. Or she could be Liverpool's Meryl Streep, an energetic performer willing to dive into the thick of things to get to a place of emotional truth. Or how about the floor-turning Keanu Reeves who leads his own John Wick-style franchise? Whatever the future may be, with Tony on the mantelpiece, it feels like Comer is on the eve of something big.
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