Hollywood actress and BBC Killing Eve star Jodie Comer took home the gong for Leading Actress for her role in Channel 4 drama Help at this year’s TV BAFTAs.
Along with being honoured by her hometown of Liverpool for her Killing Eve role, Jodie has led a very interesting life off-screen as well as on-screen, including being friends with a very famous sports star, paying tribute to a fellow Liverpudlian actor and turning down the opportunity to star in a popular BBC competition.
Along with rising to global fame in Hollywood films and receiving critical acclaim for her role in Prima Facie, Jodie has fast become one of the most sought after actresses in the business.
Hometown honour
Liverpool born Jodie showed a flair for acting from a young age, with her school teachers at St Julies noticing her talent instantly after the star took part in drama lessons and in the Liverpool Performing Arts Festival in 2006.
A spokesperson for the school said in a statement to OK! Magazine: “Jodie was a quiet student but had a very strong work ethic from a young age. It was clear that she had a talent in drama and she was encouraged to allow this to flourish.
“Her confidence grew and she had a great sense of humour. Jodie’s teachers always supported her and pushed her to develop her skills and shine.”
(Image: BBC/Sophie Mutevelian)
After being encouraged to sign with an agent, she landed her first acting roles as a teenager in The Royal spin-off The Royal Today, Waterloo Road, Silent Witness and Holby City.
From there it was onwards and upwards for the star, landing leading roles in E4 series My Mad Fat Diary, TV film Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Elizabeth of York in mini series The White Princess.
She was also recognised as one the “Stars of Tomorrow” at the BFI London Film Festival in 2016 – just two year before she would land her most famous role as Villanelle in the hit BBC series Killing Eve.
(Image: BBC/Sid Gentle Silms)
Not only did she win the Primetime Emmy Award for her role as the assassin, but she was recently honoured by her hometown after a selection of her Killing Eve outfits were displayed in Liverpool’s city centre.
The costumes were on display in April 2022, following the final episode of the iconic TV series, including her famous pink tulle dress and clown outfit.
Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director at Liverpool ONE where the costumes were displayed, told Liverpool Echo: “We are delighted to host this wonderful display from BBC Creative at Liverpool ONE.
“It pays tribute to one of our most well-known artists, Jodie Comer, and the role fashion played on the series; both elements, culture and fashion, are at the heart of what Liverpool ONE represents as a destination.”
BAFTA and Hollywood fame
(Image: © 2021 BBC America)
In 2019, Jodie was honoured by BAFTA after she won the TV award for Best Actress – during the same ceremony that the series also won Best Drama.
Taking to the stage, the actress gave an emotional speech and thanked fellow Liverpudlian actor Stephen Graham, saying: “Wow thank you so much BAFTA. I’m the only one who has turned on the water works.
“I want to thank Stephen Graham. If I didn’t owe you a pint before, I do now.”
(Image: David Fisher/BAFTA/REX)
She also paid a sweet tribute to her family during her acceptance speech, adding: “I would love to dedicate this award to my nana Francis who sadly passed away the first week of filming so you never got to see Villanelle.
“She was the life and soul of everything. She’d say ‘you get it off me you know.’
“I want to say “Nana Frances, you were absolutely right all along.”
With Jodie’s famous role as Villanelle coming to an end, it is by no means the only role she has become famous for, having landed a string of Hollywood roles and global fame in the past few years.
(Image: Photo by Alan Markfield)
In the same year that she won the BAFTA for Best Actress, she also landed a cameo role in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker as Rey’s mother in flashback sequences.
She has also starred in comedy action film Free Guy opposite Ryan Reynolds and Joe Keery, worked with Stephen Graham on the Channel 4 drama series Help about the Coronavirus Pandemic and is currently starring at the Harold Pinter Theatre in a production of Prima Facie, for which Jodie has received rave reviews.
Stalker hell
(Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
It was reported in 2021 that Jodie had been ‘left fearing for her life’ after receiving sinister threats online, including one that said a man was ‘coming to England to create carnage’ and threatened to kill the star.
Mail Online reported that technology experts were brought in after Jodie and her family received the threats, which were traced to the northern French city of Roubaix.
A man was later arrested, with prosecutors in Lille confirming that the alleged threats from a man, who lives in nearby Roubaix, were ‘a matter of great concern’.
A spokesman for Lille prosecutors said at the time: “Following an official approach by the British authorities, a man was taken into custody for acts of harassment against an English actress.”
Famous best friend
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Sty)
Away from our screens, Jodie is best friends with another huge star – the Olympic Gold Medal winner Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
The two stars are both from Liverpool with Jodie hailing from Childwall and Katarina hailing from Woolton, and became friends while pupils at Catholic girl’s school St Julie’s.
They have been close ever since and Jodie even paid a sweet tribute to Katarina in 2019, after the sports star won a Gold Medal at the World Athletics Championships.
Taking to Instagram, she wrote: “World champion right there! We couldn’t be prouder of you @johnsonthompson. Your hard work and dedication shows no limits. Soak it all up. You’re the best… it’s actually official.”
Strictly snub
(Image: Internet Unknown)
In November 2018, eagle eyed viewers spotted Jodie Comer in the audience of Strictly Come Dancing alongside her mum, who is a super fan of the show.
Speaking to The Mirror, the actress revealed that she had been approached by Strictly producers to appear on the show, but explained the reason why she turned down the opportunity.
She said: “They were like, “Maybe next year, Jodie?” I was like, “Mmm, no, I don’t think so! I’d embarrass myself, definitely!”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
