Jodie Comer has established herself as one of the most versatile and acclaimed actors of her generation, capturing global attention through transformative performances across television, film, and stage. From her breakout role as the unpredictable assassin Villanelle in BBC America’s Killing Eve to her commanding work in feature films like Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, the Liverpool-born actor has continually challenged herself with complex, emotionally demanding characters.
Evaluating Jodie Comer’s top film and television roles highlights a career defined by linguistic precision, physical transformation, and fierce emotional intelligence. Since stepping into the international spotlight, she has earned numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a British Academy Television Award, solidifying her status as a powerhouse performer in contemporary cinema and television.
1. Killing Eve
As Oksana Astankova, better known as Villanelle, Comer delivered the defining television performance of her early career. Across four seasons of the spy thriller, she portrayed a psychopathic assassin with a taste for high fashion, dark humor, and theatrical kills. Comer navigated Villanelle’s shifting psychology with uncanny dexterity, moving seamlessly between chilling cruelty and disarming vulnerability. Her complex, cat-and-mouse dynamic with Sandra Oh’s MI6 operative Eve Polastri drove the cultural phenomenon of the series, earning Comer the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2019.
2. The Last Duel
In Ridley Scott’s historical drama The Last Duel, Comer starred as Marguerite de Carrouges, a 14th-century French noblewoman who bravely speaks out against sexual assault. The film’s structural framing, told through three distinct perspectives, places a heavy burden on Comer to anchor the narrative’s emotional truth in its final chapter. Critics praised her nuanced, deeply resonant portrayal of a woman fighting for justice in a rigid patriarchal society, showcasing her ability to carry a massive historical epic with grace and quiet strength.
3. Help
Returning to her television roots in the powerful drama Help, Comer starred alongside Stephen Graham as Sarah, a care home worker facing the devastating early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Liverpool. Written by Jack Thorne, the Channel 4 television film relied heavily on a harrowing, largely improvised central sequence that captured the chaos, terror, and institutional abandonment of care facilities. Comer’s raw, empathetic performance won widespread critical acclaim and earned her a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress.
4. Free Guy
Demonstrating her range in blockbuster studio comedies, Comer starred opposite Ryan Reynolds in the sci-fi action-comedy Free Guy. Playing programmer Millie Rusk (and her avatar Molotov Girl), Comer blended sharp comedic timing with physical action prowess. The film became a major box office success, proving her ability to transition seamlessly from gritty independent dramas and prestige television into high-concept Hollywood crowd-pleasers.
5. Thirteen
Long before her international breakout, Comer demonstrated her capacity for intense psychological drama in the BBC Three miniseries Thirteen. She portrayed Ivy Moxam, a young woman who escapes after being abducted and held captive in a cellar for 13 years. Comer captured the agonizing complexities of trauma, readjustment, and familial tension, anchoring a tense narrative that tested the boundaries of psychological endurance and established her as a formidable emerging talent.
6. The Bikeriders
In Jeff Nichols’ drama The Bikeriders, Comer took on the role of Kathy, the fierce, sharp-tongued narrator of a Midwestern motorcycle club’s rise and fall during the 1960s. Adopting a distinct Midwestern accent that served as the narrative anchor for the film, Comer held her own opposite an ensemble cast featuring Austin Butler and Tom Hardy. Her performance provided the emotional and contextual glue for a story exploring loyalty, rebellion, and shifting cultural eras.
7. Prima Facie
Though originating on the stage rather than the screen, Comer’s West End and Broadway run in Suzie Miller’s one-woman play Prima Facie remains an essential milestone in her career. Playing Tessa Ensler, a brilliant defense barrister whose perspective on the legal system shifts after she is sexually assaulted, Comer delivered a physical and emotional tour-de-force. Her performance earned her both the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
8. Doctor Foster
In the tense adultery drama Doctor Foster, Comer played Kate Parks, the young woman involved in an affair with the husband of the title character, played by Suranne Jones. While the role was an antagonist on paper, Comer brought depth and reluctance to a character caught in a web of deceit, proving her ability to make an impression in a sprawling, multi-layered ensemble television series.
9. My Mad Fat Diary
Early in her television career, Comer gained visibility among British audiences as Chloe Gemell in the critically acclaimed comedy-drama My Mad Fat Diary. As the popular, sometimes complex best friend of the protagonist Rae Earl, Comer brought warmth, nuance, and realism to a teen drama praised for its honest handling of mental health and body image.
10. The End We Start From
In the survival drama The End We Start From, Comer starred as a new mother navigating an environmental catastrophe that submerges London under floodwaters. Adapted from Megan Hunter’s novel and produced by Benedict Cumberbatch’s SunnyMarch, the film relied on Comer’s intimate, grounded performance to humanize a sweeping apocalyptic scenario, highlighting maternal resilience amidst total chaos.
As Jodie Comer continues to select diverse projects across film, television, and theatre, audiences and critics alike await her next creative venture. Official updates regarding her upcoming slate of performances can be followed through verified industry trades and official production announcements. Readers are encouraged to share their favorite Comer performances and join the discussion in the comments below.
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