How Jodie Comer Channels Real-Life Rage for '28 Years Later' and 'Prima Facie'

Jodie Comer is famous for playing intense, powerful women, but she says real-life rage isn’t something she finds easy. In a new interview with GQ, Comer shares that anger usually turns to tears for her, or she just pushes it down. “As women, we suppress it and that’s probably why I have trouble accessing it,” she says.

This is pretty interesting when you look at her latest work. In 28 Years Later, rage is actually a virus that destroys everything. In her stage play Prima Facie, she plays a lawyer who gets so angry with the legal system, it becomes almost like a scream.

Comer says acting is a way to dig deep into feelings she doesn’t always get in real life. “There was one particular night, halfway through, I’d gone so far I was struggling to pull myself back,” she remembers from performing Prima Facie.

Comer often takes on roles about big issues, like surviving a pandemic or facing social injustice. She also jokes about her doubts, quoting singer Self Esteem: “If I’m so empowered, why am I such a coward?”