Killing Eve's Jodie Comer addresses whether Villanelle is 'going soft'
She's an assassin!
Last updated 12th Jun 2020
Killing Eve's third season is well underway at the moment, with each episode dropping every Monday morning in the UK and also being aired on the following Sunday night. Fans of the first two series have been loving the new season - and it's no surprise, as Villanelle star Jodie Comer is on top form. 🚨SPOILERS AHEAD!🚨
In yesterday's episode, Villanelle returned to Russia and found her family - mother Tatiana, brother Pyotr and adorable younger brother Bor'ka (who you may recognise from Star Wars Episode VIII).
After some rather heartwarming bonding with little Bor'ka, viewers then saw a glimpse into why Villanelle might be the way she is - being a victim of some mental manipulation at the hands of her mother, which was sadly also happening to her siblings.
When Tatiana threatened Villanelle and kicked her out, Villanelle declared that she'd be forced to kill her dear old mum. As she poured petrol through the house and lit a flame, we thankfully saw Bor'ka wake up from an alarm clock she had set, with a note telling him to go to the barn where Pyotr lived along with an envelope full of cash, as the pair witnessed their house blow up the remaining members of the family and Villanelle depart.
Whilst viewers enjoyed seeing some of Villanelle's origins and backstory, actress Jodie Comer has spoken out on whether allowing her two brothers to survive was 'out of character'.
She told TV Line, "People are like: 'That's so out of character,' but what I keep finding as I play her is that she's ever growing. It becomes more apparent to me that the more we go on with each season, the more we can't stick to formulas that may have worked in season 1.
"It's hard to keep that up and it not get tedious. We have to grow with her. We have to listen to what it is she's saying and what she's experiencing. And I think that felt true to where she's at right now."
Scroll through to see who is in the cast of Killing Eve and where you might have seen them before...
Jodie Comer as Villanelle / Oksana Astankova
Jodie Marie Comer is an actress from Liverpool, and portrays the antagonist Villanelle / Oksana Astankova in Killing Eve.
Jodie started out her acting career way back in 2008 at the age of just 15, having attended a weekend theatre school and winning a competition at a local drama festival.
She then had small parts in Holby City, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Casualty and Silent Witness, before landing the role of Chloe Gemell in E4 series My Mad Fat Diary. She played Ivy Bolton in Lady Chatterley's Lover, and got another big break as Kate Parks in Doctor Foster opposite Suranne Jones. Jodie also played Elizabeth of York in The White Princess, a sequel to The White Queen starring Rebecca Ferguson. She's made waves since she started out, and has now starred in Hollywood blockbusters like Star Wars, Free Guy and The Last Duel.
Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri
Sandra Oh is a Canadian actress who starred as MI5 officer Eve Polastri, the agent who was hunting Villanelle.
She began her career in showbiz at an early age, performing in school plays before forgoing a place at university to study at the National Theatre School and going on to star in biographical TV films of two significant female Chinese-Canadians, Evelyn Lau and Adrienne Clarkson.
She's most well-known for her role as Dr. Cristina Yang in Grey's Anatomy, having starred in the show from Season 1 to Season 10. She also had voice roles on various Disney Channel TV shows, as well as showing off her more comedic side in The Princess Diaries as Vice Principal Gupta.
Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens
Potterheads will recognise actress Fiona Shaw AKA MI6 operative Carolyn Martens as Aunt Petunia Dursley from the Harry Potter film series. Carolyn had rather questionable motives during Killing Eve - although she was on the hunt for Villanelle, she was blind to some facts after viewers discovered she'd had an affair with Russian operatives Vladimir Betkin and Konstantin Vasiliev.
The Irish actress was awarded a CBE in 2001, having worked extensively in theatre for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre and winning the Olivier Award for Best Actress twice.
During the 1990's, she starred in three period drama films - Persuasion as Mrs. Croft, Jane Eyre as Mrs. Reed and Anna Karenina as Lydia, but her biggest film role was Aunt Petunia, starring in all eight of the films.
Kim Bodnia as Konstantin Vasiliev
Danish actor Kim Bodnia plays Villanelle's handler, Konstantin Vasiliev in Killing Eve, and a romantic past was hinted at with Carolyn Martens, Fiona Shaw's character. He has mostly starred in European films throughout his character, and is quite famous for his role in Scandinavian noir crime television series The Bridge as Martin Rohde. He also plays Vesemir in the second season of The Witcher on Netflix.
Harriet Walter as Dasha
English actress Harriet Walter joined the cast of Killing Eve in season three, playing the former Russian gymnast (and assassin) Dasha. It soon becomes clear that Dasha is an old associate of Villanelle, and the pair were reunited in season three... with some tragic consequences.
Stage and screen actress Harriet Walter also plays the role of Caroline, Countess of Brockenhurst in ITV drama Belgravia, and she's also appeared in popular series such as The Crown, The End and Succession.
Owen McDonnell as Niko Polastri
Irish actor Owen McDonnell portrayed Eve's Polish-British husband Niko Polastri in Killing Eve. Although he wasn't a huge character, he was shown to be a loving and caring husband to Eve, but as the show went on and she became more obsessed with Villanelle, cracks started to show in their relationship and he eventually left their apartment.
It had looked like Niko was murdered in front of Eve's eyes in season three, but it was later revealed he'd survived the attack.
Owen is best known for playing Garda Sergeant Jack Driscoll in RTÉ Television's Single-Handed, but has also had roles on Spooks and Silent Witness, as well as sitcom Mount Pleasant.
Sean Delaney as Kenny Stowton
Sean Delaney plays Kenny Stowton, the hacker and online specialist that Eve and Carolyn hire to assist in their investigation. It later becomes apparent that Kenny is, in fact, Carolyn's son, and even he begins to despair at his mother's actions regarding the case around Villanelle.
Much to the sadness of viewers, Kenny was thrown off the top of a building at the start of season one, with viewers still keen to find out who murdered him.
Sean previously appeared in an episode of Midsomer Murders, but Killing Eve has been his breakout performance.
Raj Bajaj as Mo Jafari
Actor Raj Bajaj joined the cast of Killing Eve in season three, playing the role of Carolyn's MI6 protégée Mo Jafari.
In the past, Raj has enjoyed parts in shows such as Doctor Who, Doctors and most recently, Netflix movie A Christmas Prince.
Steve Pemberton as Paul
English actor and comedian Steve Pemberton's role in season three of Killing Eve is a small one, but still worth a mention. Steve plays the role of Paul who works for the Foreign Office, and was brought in to oversee tasks carried out by Carolyn's team.
Of course, Steve has appeared in many popular TV shows in the past, including things like Death In Paradise, Good Omens, The League Of Gentleman and Midsomer Murders.
Yuli Lagodinsky as Irina
After being held hostage by Villanelle in season two, young actress Yuli Lagodinsky returned in season three, playing the role of Konstantin's daughter Irina.
This is Yuli's first major on-screen role.
Gemma Whelan as Geraldine
Killing Eve fans were first introduced to Gemma Whelan's character Geraldine in episode two of season three. The actress plays the role of Carolyn's daughter who struggles after the murder of her brother Kenny.
Gemma has appeared in a number of popular shows prior to Killing Eve, including her role as Yara Greyjoy in Game Of Thrones. The actress also starred in ITV drama White House Farm, the 2020 adaptation of Emma and is a regular on Upstart Crow.
Camillie Cottin as Helene
We don't know much about her character yet, but French actress Camillie Cottin joined the cast of Killing Eve in season three, playing the role of 'The Twelve' member Helene.
Camillie has appeared in movies like Allied (2016), Call My Agent (2015) and Dumped (2018).
David Haig as Bill Pargrave
David Haig is a 63-year-old British actor who played Bill Pargrave, Eve's MI5 associate who joins her at MI6 before tragically being stabbed to death by Villanelle. He is most well known for his breakout role as Bernard in Four Weddings and a Funeral before reuniting with fellow co-star Rowan Atkinson in BBC sitcom The Thin Blue Line.
He later had a role on The Thick Of It as Steve Fleming alongside Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison and Joanna Scanlan, and was awarded an MBE in 2013. He's also a prolific stage actor, and has even written a play based on the life of Rudyard Kipling, which he later starred in alongside Daniel Radcliffe. He appeared in 2016 film Florence Foster Jenkins with his Four Weddings co-star Hugh Grant, as well as Meryl Streep.
Darren Boyd as Frank Haleton
Darren Boyd played Frank Haleton in Killing Eve - Eve's supervisor at MI5. Although Frank initially seemed to be an overbearing boss who couldn't take a joke, he was later discovered to be a mole for the Russians, and was targeted by three assassins - one of whom was Villanelle. Unfortunately for him, she got him in the end, despite Eve's best efforts.
Darren has had an extensive stage career, and has also appeared in TV comedies like Saxondale and Royal Wedding, about the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer alongside Jodie Whittaker. He more recently starred in Sky Atlantic's Fortitude as the creepy Markus Huseklepp, and had roles in Luther and Lucky Man.
Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Elena Felton
Kirby Howell-Baptiste is a British actor from London. She played Eve's friend and assistant Elena Felton, who transferred to MI6 with her when she started to work for Carolyn.
Fans of The Good Place will recognise Kirby as Simone, the Australian neuroscientist who has a brief relationship with main character Chidi Anagonye. She also appeared in House of Lies, is a recurring character on Netflix's LOVE as well as on HBO comedy-drama Barry with Bill Hader.
Kirby left the show in season one.
Nina Sosanya as Jess
Nina Sosanya joined the cast for season two as Jess. She was described as: 'an experienced Intelligence Officer. Jess is unbelievably clever and hilarious. Having studied Arabic at SOAS, she was basically asking to be recruited. A calm, experienced presence in MI6, she has absolutely no time for the posh, white men who have failed upwards within the organisation and makes it known. The reason she hasn't been highly promoted is because she refuses to suck up or play the game.'
Nina is a well-known actress in the UK, having starred in noughties series Teachers as well as Love Actually. She's also an established theatre actress, and has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company on a number of occasions. She also starred in comedy series Twenty Twelve, and BBC dramas Silk and Hustle. She's had main roles in W1A, Marcella and Strike Back: Retribution.
Edward Bluemel as Hugo
Hugo was another new character for series two, played by Edward Bluemel. He was described as follows: 'No one has ever said "no" to Hugo in his entire life. This is a man-boy so used to getting what he wants that people automatically just give it to him. Hugo wafted through Eton and Oxford, and was absolutely delighted to get the tap on the shoulder (from an old friend of Daddy's). He's not remotely surprised or grateful that, in his twenties, he is in a major Counter-Terrorism department in MI6. He's totally disrespectful to his elders and betters entitlement personified, but unfortunately, he is also completely irresistible. Kenny absolutely hates him.'
Edward starred as Marcus Whitmore in Sky's A Discovery of Witches, in Liam Neeson blockbuster The Commuter and also caught the eye of many during his turn as Maeve Wiley's older brother Sean in Netflix's Sex Education. He is also an experience theatre actor, having starred in productions such as The Winter's Tale and King Lear.
Killing Eve has three more episodes of season three, which will drop on BBC iPlayer on consecutive Mondays.