Jodie Comer lit up the red carpet in a shimmering silver gown this week at the star-studded premiere of 28 Years Later, Danny Boyle’s long-awaited sequel to his zombie classic.
Posing alongside co-star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the Liverpudlian looked every inch the Hollywood star as she celebrated the film’s release at London’s Odeon Luxe Leicester Square.
But for Comer, 32, the journey from shop floor to scream queen has been anything but overnight. Before she was headlining apocalyptic thrillers and dazzling on Broadway, Comer was just another teenager working shifts at Tesco and collecting glasses in local pubs.
Acting had always been her passion, but the stardom she enjoys now, with Emmy, BAFTA and Olivier Awards to her name, was a world away from her early days in Merseyside.
Raised in a working-class household with her rail worker mum Donna and physiotherapist dad Jimmy, Comer was first noticed when a school drama teacher encouraged her to audition for a BBC Radio 4 play.
That job landed her an agent and a foot in the door of an industry not always known for its accessibility. Her first onscreen credits were blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearances in Holby City, Doctors and Waterloo Road.
But things really changed when she landed a supporting role in E4’s cult hit My Mad Fat Diary. As Chloe, the vain yet vulnerable best friend, Comer was impossible to ignore. Critics began to take note.
Her lead role in the BBC’s harrowing drama Thirteen, where she played a teenager escaping from captivity, earned her a BAFTA nomination, but it was Killing Eve that catapulted her to global fame.
As the murderous, magnetic Villanelle, Comer mastered accents, fashion and knife skills in equal measure. She was witty, terrifying and utterly captivating... and the awards followed. Despite the fame, she’s kept her private life fiercely guarded.
She was once linked to American lacrosse player James Burke, and had to defend him publicly after reports emerged that he was a registered Republican - a political stance seemingly at odds with her own outspoken views on women’s rights and LGBT+ issues.
Professionally, however, Comer has never been afraid to take risks. Her jaw-dropping one-woman performance in Prima Facie, where she plays a defence barrister who is raped, has earned rave reviews, a WhatsOnStage win, and an Olivier Award.
It also hits Broadway this month, where critics are already whispering Tony buzz. And now, as she returns to cinema screens with 28 Years Later, she’s stepping into a new phase - Hollywood leading lady.
Playing a woman suffering memory loss in Boyle’s dystopian new world, Comer admitted she was “scared” filming the zombie thriller, not that you’d know it from her commanding presence.
Speaking about the role, Comer told Total Film: “It was a real challenge… emotionally, physically. The world Danny’s built is brutal. But the script was so good I couldn’t say no.” She added: “I always want to do things that scare me a little.”
Reflecting on her working-class roots, she previously told British Vogue: “I used to work in Tesco on the tills, and I’d do my homework in the canteen. That job grounded me and I’ll always be proud of where I started.”
PR expert Shannon Peerless says Comer is “the real deal”. “She’s still only 32 and has already conquered TV, theatre and film, and what’s more, she’s relatable,” she said. “She’s the girl next door who made it big, and she’s just getting started.”
With upcoming roles in Blade Runner 2099, a fashion makeover courtesy of stylist-to-the-stars Danielle Goldberg, and a growing legion of fans across the globe, Comer’s story seems far from over.
