Actresses Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer have been receiving a lot of praise for their performance in the Emmy-winning spy thriller Killing Eve. On the show, Oh plays Eve Polastri, a British intelligence agent tracking down the notorious assassin Villanelle (Comer). As a result, the two women have been caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse unlike any other. In fact, throughout its episodes, the pursuit heats up, almost as much as the chemistry between Oh and Comer itself.With the show’s success, fans were certainly hoping that Killing Eve would still be around for years to come. Sadly, however, the decision was made to bring the spy drama to an end after four spectacular seasons. And while fans are still reeling from the show’s shocking finale, many are also wondering what would become of Comer and Oh’s relationship behind the scenes? Are they really as close as some may think?
Sandra Oh And Jodie Comer Had Real Chemistry Even During Auditions
When showrunner Phoebe Waller-Bridge set out to develop Killing Eve (it is based on a series of novels by Luke Jennings) for television, she knew it would be most critical to get the casting right, starting with Eve.
“We wanted somebody around 40 who had settled for something that wasn’t the dream. It was important that there was a degree of weariness,” executive producer Sally Woodward Gentle explained. “The actor needed to embody that sense of disappointment but still have the brilliance, genius, and ability to tap into how extraordinary they were when they were younger and see that be reignited.”
Gentle and her team proceeded to make a list of possible actors and soon realized “it wasn’t that long.” More importantly, it also became clear that there was no one better suited to play the character than Oh.
Once Oh had been cast, they turned their attention towards casting Villanelle. “We didn’t want Villanelle to be like Nikita or The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” Gentle explained. “We wanted her to be able to disappear into a crowd.”
The team eventually found Comer and decided to do a chemistry test featuring the actress and Oh. That’s when they realized they found their leads. “There had to be chemistry between them, this extraordinary chemical reaction that’s not necessarily sexual, but has hints of it,” Gentle said. “They had it.”
That said, the two women couldn’t be more different when it came to their approach to their characters. As Jennings himself told Mirror, "Jodie falls back on instinct, whereas Sandra works like a demon. Every phrase is gone through, practised, worked on."
Despite their differences, the two actresses stayed in sync. “Their acting methods are very different, but they were completely within the same piece,” Gentle added. “That was really important.”
While Working On The Show, They Became ‘Dance Partners’
Oh and Comer didn’t know each other at all prior to Killing Eve but once the women started doing scenes together, they established a good working relationship almost instantly.
“I really, really trust her,” Comer said of Oh. “Which is a really lovely way to work because then you can be open and vulnerable and know that the person opposite you is doing the exact same, and you’re kind of holding each other in that.”
For Oh, it almost felt like she found the perfect “dance partner” in Comer. “That’s really that kind of dynamic that we’ve had,” the Grey’s Anatomy alum remarked. “You’re very lucky to have good dance partners… good acting partners, and I do feel like we were able to give that to each other.”
How Close Are Sandra Oh And Jodie Comer In Real Life?
Oh and Comer may have worked closely together on Killing Eve. However, it seems their busy schedules make it impossible for the co-stars to hang out together when they’re not filming. “We don't actually see each other an awful lot when we're off set,” Comer admitted. “But then when you're on set and you're doing the material, it's all kind of fizzing away.”
That said Comer believes that she has a real bond with Oh now. “There's a really strong connection and I feel like I found that, felt that, with Sandra from the moment I auditioned with her. It was the same with Kim Bodnia, and in this series where we introduced Villanelle's mother,” she explained. “Those relationships where you don't have to say an awful lot.”
Meanwhile, a spin-off of Killing Eve is now officially in the works at AMC. However, it seems that neither Oh nor Comer would be involved with the show. According to reports, the show would focus on the early life of Carolyn Merten as an MI6 spy. Because of this, the storyline would be occurring well before Eve or Villanelle’s time.
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