9 Surprising Roles You'd Completely Forgotten Jodie Comer Once Played

After winning a Tony for her Broadway debut in Prima Facie, we're looking back at the rise and rise of the former Killing Eve star.
Jodie Comer accepts the award for Best Leading Actress in a Play for Prima Facie onstage during The 76th Annual Tony Awards
Jodie Comer accepts the award for Best Leading Actress in a Play for Prima Facie onstage during The 76th Annual Tony Awards
Theo Wargo via Getty Images

It’s been quite the week for one of Britain’s biggest acting talents.

After wowing the West End in the one-woman show Prima Facie last year, Jodie Comer’s transition to Broadway has now bagged her a Tony Award.

The Liverpudlian actor picked up Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play during Sunday night’s ceremony in the US, and is now well on her way to EGOT [Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony] status, having already been awarded an Emmy for her role in worldwide smash TV series Killing Eve.

As Jodie’s success continues, we’re taking a look back at her meteoric rise to fame with a reminder of some of her earlier roles you may just have forgotten all about…

The Royal Today (2008)

Jodie Comer in The Royal Today
Jodie Comer in The Royal Today
ITV

Jodie made her first TV appearance in 2008 at the age of 15, playing a character called Leanne in an episode of the ITV medical drama The Royal Today.

The series was a spin-off from The Royal, which was set in the 1960s and was itself a spin-off from Heartbeat.

Holby City (2010)

Jodie Comer in Holby City
Jodie Comer in Holby City
BBC

Guest appearances in Holby City or Casualty are basically a must for an up-and-coming actor, and sure enough Jodie actually did both.

She first appeared in an episode of Holby in 2010 before making a one-off appearance as a different character in the BBC medical drama’s sister show two years later.

Waterloo Road (2010)

Jodie Comer in Waterloo Road
Jodie Comer in Waterloo Road
BBC

Waterloo Road has a bit of a reputation for being a launch pad for young acting talent, with the likes of Jenna Coleman, Regé-Jean Page, Lucien Laviscount and Phoebe Dynevor all passing through the doors of the fictional school.

Jodie was among that list of young stars, popping up in the sixth series in 2010 for one episode as a pupil called Sarah Evans.

My Mad Fat Diary (2013)

Jodie Comer and Sharon Rooney in My Mad Fat Diary
Jodie Comer and Sharon Rooney in My Mad Fat Diary
Channel 4

My Mad Fat Diary was perhaps Jodie’s big breakthrough role, with the teen E4 comedy drama becoming her first regular TV gig as a main character.

She appeared in all 16 episodes of the show between 2013 and 2015, playing Chloe, who was the best friend of main character Rae, played by Sharon Rooney.

Remember Me (2014)

Jodie Comer and Michael Palin in Remember Me
Jodie Comer and Michael Palin in Remember Me
BBC

Despite the title, you might not recall this 2014 BBC miniseries, which focussed on the mysterious death of a social worker at a care home.

Jodie played care assistant Hannah, who was intent on solving the crime, starring opposite Michael Palin as an elderly patient, which marked the veteran TV star’s first acting role in 20 years at the time.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2015)

Jodie Comer and James Norton in Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Jodie Comer and James Norton in Lady Chatterley’s Lover
BBC

This 2015 adaptation of D.H Lawrence’s classic novel was headed up by Line Of Duty showrunner Jed Mercurio and featured what is now an incredibly all-star cast.

Jodie played the role of Ivy Bolton starring opposite Holliday Grainger as Lady Chatterley, Richard Madden as Oliver Mellors and James Norton as Sir Clifford Chatterley.

Doctor Foster (2015)

Jodie Comer (centre) with the cast of Doctor Foster
Jodie Comer (centre) with the cast of Doctor Foster
BBC

Jodie was propelled into the mainstream even further when she landed a role in Doctor Foster, which went on to become one of the biggest TV dramas of the mid 2010s.

In Doctor Foster, she played Kate Parks who had an affair with titular character Gemma Foster’s (played by Suranne Jones) husband Simon.

Shortly after the second series finished airing in 2017, she was cast as her defining role as Villanelle in Killing Eve, which turned her into a household name.

Thirteen (2016)

Jodie Comer in Thirteen
Jodie Comer in Thirteen
BBC

This drama was used to promote BBC Three’s shift to online-only in 2016 (something that was later reversed in 2022), being one of the key shows for the launch of its new streaming era.

In the five-part series, Jodie played a woman who escapes from the cellar where she has been imprisoned for 13 years, in which her haunting performance was praised by critics.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

Jodie Comer in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
Jodie Comer in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
Disney

By the time the final film in the latest Star Wars trio was released in 2019, Jodie was already a big name, but you might not have spotted her appearance in The Rise Of Skywalker.

She made a cameo appearance as Rey’s mother Miramir in a flashback scene showing her protecting her daughter from her grandfather’s evil clutches.

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