Jodie Comer reveals what excited her about The Last Duel: “I wanted to give this woman a voice”
The Killing Eve star plays real historical figure Marguerite de Carrouges in Ridley Scott's epic.
Jodie Comer's career continues to go from strength to strength, and the actor's latest project sees her star alongside Matt Damon and Adam Driver in Ridley Scott's historical epic The Last Duel.
Comer plays real-life figure Marguerite de Carrouges, who in 1386 accused squire Jacques Le Gris (Driver) of rape – which eventually led to a trial-by-combat between Le Gris and her husband Jean (Damon).
The film plays out in a Rashomon-style structure in which the audience sees the same events unfold from three different perspectives, with the first chapter focusing on Jean, the second on Le Gris, and the third on Marguerite.
And in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, the Killing Eve star revealed that the thing that drew her to the project was "ultimately to give this woman a voice and to tell her part of the story".
"I'd read the book and all these events happened because of something that happened to her, yet there was very, very little account of her and her experience," she explained.
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"So to hear that that's what the creators really wanted to explore and champion was what really excited me."
And Comer also revealed another aspect of the film that appealed to her: the opportunity to realise a dream she had had when she first started her acting career.
"It's funny because I had this moment when I was on set of The Last Duel when I texted my agent because I had this flashback of when I first met her," she said.
"I went to London and was in her office and I remember her asking what I wanted to do and I said I want to do period films, I think I basically said I wanted to be Kiera Knightley!
"And I had this moment of being on set and working with Ridley and working on this epic piece and thinking, 'wow, that's here, that's happening!'"
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In the last few months, Comer has appeared in three very different screen projects: video game-themed action-comedy Free Guy, Channel 4's hard-hitting COVID-drama Help, and now The Last Duel – with all three projects also rather far removed from her most famous role as Villanelle in Killing Eve.
And while Comer said that picking such varying roles was not necessarily a conscious choice, she admitted that she always enjoys finding new challenges as an actor.
"I always just find that when I've finished the role I kind of just want to step away from that and want to find something else," she said.
"You know, I always want to try and challenge myself in a new way or usually if I'm kind of intimidated by something I think 'oh this is probably good' because it's new territory and I should push myself."
She added: "But I think it's just been kind of how it's all fell into place because Free Guy was also delayed for so long and it's like everything has come out within the space of one month!"
The Last Duel is in UK cinemas from Friday 15th October 2021. Visit our Movies hub for the latest news and features. Looking for something to watch tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
