Surprise hit:
In most TV series, anyone who kills people for fun would be despised by viewers. But in Killing Eve, actress Jodie Comer (right) has managed to turn her character Villanelle into a likeable and alluring murderer, as James Rampton finds.
Why Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer has proved so popular in her role as a hit woman.
Who knew that a callous, amoral assassin who takes unashamed pleasure in her murders would prove so popular?
Against all odds, last year the ruthless killer Villanelle (played by Jodie Comer from Doctor Foster) became a hugely popular TV character. Now Villanelle, one of the two main characters in the hit British drama Killing Eve, which has already won a mantelpiece-endangering number of awards, is back for a second season of conscience-free homicides.
In this second series, she will be engaging once again in a game of cat and mouse with her relentless MI5 pursuer, Eve (Sandra Oh from Grey’s Anatomy).
Filmed in Amsterdam, London and Paris, the series is adapted from the Codename Villanelle novellas by Luke Jennings.
Fiona Shaw (Harry Potter) reprises her role as Eve’s enigmatic handler. Joining the cast this year are Nina Sosanya, Edward Bluemel and Julian Barrett.
Comer, 26, who earned plaudits for her charismatic performance and her ability to make an apparently repellent character so attractive, assesses what motivates Villanelle.
“I think what drives Villanelle is her freedom,” says Comer. “I feel like she’s had very little freedom in her life before now. She lives in Paris in this amazing apartment and she gets a kick from doing these kills. It excites her and gives her purpose.
“She’s got control. She does her kills, she gets her money, she spends it on what she likes, and she has no one around her to take that from her, or tell her what to do. She has total freedom. She has very little remorse and she’s cool with that.”
The surprise, Comer adds, is that, “There’s something so relatable about Villanelle, something very curious about her and likeable, which I don’t think I’ve seen before.”
The actress proceeds to explain that this ambiguous tone of Killing Eve was a great attraction for her.
“What I love is the balance of humour and darkness within the series. There is so much humour, but then there are so many moments
which are quite shocking and brutal. That balance is so hard to get right.”
Comer, who also starred in The White Princess and Thirteen, says she was drawn to the complexity of Killing Eve’s two principal roles.
“What’s so amazing with both the lead characters is that they can be weak and vulnerable, and I guess in turn that’s what makes them strong.
“We have this preconception about assassins on screen – they’re always immaculate and they do everything with such ease and precision. And what really attracted me to Villanelle was she was a bit messy, a bit slutty, and she had humour.”
So are there any similarities between the actress and her alter ego in Killing Eve?
“I’m scared to say yes because she’s so crazy,” laughs Comer. “She likes to spend her money on clothes and she always seems to be eating, I’m guilty on both counts.
“I also see her as an actress in many ways because she has so many different personas, so my way into her was to think of it as an act.
“She thrives on being an actress. She speaks so many languages and often has a set costume or hair depending on her mission – just a totally different life that she morphs into.”
We cannot leave without discussing one of Villanelle’s other major trademarks: her stunning wardrobe.
“The costumes are absolutely incredible,” says Comer. “Every time you see her, she could be a different
person. The costume designer Phoebe De Gaye has been amazing. She’s the brains and the vision behind it all. “To be honest, I didn’t really know what I thought Villanelle would wear, and then Phoebe brought all this remarkable stuff in, and I was like, ‘Yup, perfect’. I don’t think she has a particular style. It’s just anything goes, depending on the mood. Big, bright and bold – I don’t think she cares as long as it’s expensive.”