Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer admits to having ‘self-doubt’ as she accepts an award for her theatre debut in one-woman play

Jodie Comer has reflected on her battle with “self-doubt”, while accepting another prestigious award.

The actress, 28, from Liverpool, shot to fame in 2018 for her star role as Villanelle in BBC America’s award-winning series Killing Eve.

However, she recently made her theatre debut role in the one-woman play, Prima Facie, by Suzie Miller.

Jodie played Tessa, a talented young criminal defence barrister, whose view of the legal system changes after she is sexually assaulted.

The actress won an award earlier this week, for the Best West End Debut Performer for the powerful performance.

She performed the one-women play at both Harold Pinter Theatre on London’s West End and Shubert Theatre on New York’s Broadway.

A stage manager from Prima Facie read out Jodie’s insecure acceptance speech at The Stage Debut Awards on Sunday night.

She admitted that “self-doubt was an insecurity” of hers, as she had not attended drama school.

The speech read: "I remember so clearly my disbelief when seeing the Prima Facie script in my inbox. I was confused as to why it had been sent to me and questioned whether I had the ability to execute something that felt so important and mighty.

“Having not been to drama school, this self-doubt was an insecurity I carried with me for a very long time and it was only because I was met with the most generous and supportive group of people that I was able to run at this opportunity and give it everything I had.”

The young actress also felt she was not “educated enough” to attain a theatre role.

The speech continued: “As someone who has spent a lot of their life feeling like theatre was unattainable, or something I wasn’t educated enough to do, this acknowledgement feels like a very warm welcome. So thank you for this support. It means more than you know.”

The Stage Debut Awards are dedicated to recognising breakthrough theatre talent and celebrating emerging actors, directors, writers, designers and creatives.

The ceremony, which was hosted by actor, writer and director Susan Wokoman, took place in London.

Jodie has previously won 13 awards, ranging from Best Entertainer to Best Actress.

The majority of her awards come from her main role in Killing Eve, including a Primetime Emmy Award in 2019 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and a TV Choice Award in 2020 for Best Actress.

Killing Eve is a thriller series which finds assassin Villanelle strangly drawn to the person she is meant to kill, Eve (played by Sandra Oh).

The 29-year-old has also won awards including a 2021 BAFTA Award for Leading Actress for her lead role in Liverpool-based drama Help.