Jodie Comer sits down with GLAMOUR to discuss her new movie, The Bikeriders, working with Austin Butler and why biker culture is “very sexy.”
Another year, another smash-hit movie from our favourite Liverpudlian, the one and only Jodie Comer. Following the success of last winter’s The End From We Start From, (currently streaming on Netflix) Jodie is now starring alongside Austin Butler (aka Elvis) and Tom Hardy (aka the man who might be Bond) in The Bikeriders.
Following in the long Hollywood tradition of outlaw biker genre movies, this Jeff Nichols directed movie subverts the traditional convention by telling the story of a Chicago biker gang through the eyes of a female protagonist, Kathy, played by Jodie.
The chameleonic Jodie is no stranger to subverting gender conventions through her memorable performances, most notably in her breakout role as the sociopathic assassin and serial killer, Villanelle on the wildly popular Killing Eve.
The actor also received critical acclaim for her one-woman play, Prima Facie in 2022-23, which had sold-out runs on the West End and Broadway. The play powerfully explored the psychological effects of sexual assault on an individual and the issues with the legal system dealing with these cases.
Last year she starred in The End We Start From - a meaty dystopian film about a single mother of a newborn (played by Jodie) who has to navigate the devastation of the aftermath of a climate disaster in the UK and protect her baby.
And in The Bikeriders, Jodie continues to push the needle. She gives the female experience of the typically male-dominated biker culture a distinctive voice through her performance as Kathy, who falls for thrill-seeking motorbiker Benny (Austin Butler) who is part of a bike gang, The Vandals MC.
Despite the events depicted in the movie being fictional, the characters are based on real people - including Kathy - who were initially portrayed in Danny Lyon’s seminal 1968 book, ‘The Bikeriders.’
Lyon spent a number of years with a Chicago biker gang and captured their experiences and culture through photographs and taped interviews, which acted as source material, informing the looks and personalities of each character in the movie.
Biker gangs and films about them is a typically male-dominated genre, it must have been refreshing to play a female lead?
Yeah, it was! The interesting thing about Kathy is that she’s a Vandal through her marriage to Benny, she’s not from this world and she’s catapulted into it. As a result, though she’s a part of these things, she’s always on the periphery and because she’s a woman she is able to see things from a different perspective.
How do you think the real Kathy felt about these interviews?
Listening to the recordings, when [author] Danny [Lyon] had asked her what she thought, I felt like she had waited 10 years for someone to ask her opinion. That’s how it felt! I imagine no one really did, especially in the 60s being a woman in a very male-dominated environment. She probably didn’t have the space to and had to contain a lot and it felt like she was ready. Jeff had so much great source material to use that it would be crazy not to have this woman tell this story as she does in real life.
You had a great on-screen chemistry with Austin Butler… What was it like to work with him in a role like this?
He’s so wonderful. He really is so lovely and I feel like we work in very similar ways, he is very work-focused, very present, sensitive and likes a giggle and all that good stuff. When we got to set we were able to jump in and play around and find things. It was a really lovely time working with him.
When preparing for the role, you were shown three photos of Kathy and given audio recordings of her interviews with Danny Lyon… Was this challenging or refreshing to approach a character in this way?
It was really refreshing actually! I jumped at it because this is the most source material I’ve ever had when coming to a role. I had three images and 30 minutes of audio and It was brilliant to have access to this and see what I can draw from it.
It was such a fun process to look at the images and see if there was anything I could pick up on, whether it was the way she stood, always having red nails, the way she had her hair or what was her relationship to the camera. It was a huge help.
I often think about the wives or partners of gang members and wonder, why do they stick around? Was it interesting to explore the female psychology of this?
There was a lot about Kathy and Benny’s relationship that was a mystery to me. I wanted more for her, in the sense that I think she wanted to be shown love in a way that he couldn’t give her. But, to be fair to Benny, he was very upfront and showed her who he was from the get-go.
That was initially very exciting for her but over time she wanted stability, safety and security and these are things that he has never promised her or exercised within himself. She had that expectation of him but we can’t own people we love, there was an element of her wanting ownership within the relationship.
There was a lot I didn’t know but I think with love you will stay in situations that maybe aren’t right for you because you feel connected to this person, because you don’t want to let go or move forward in a different way. They are all very real things to me. With acting we are expected to have the answers to things but sometimes you don’t.
Biker gangs aren’t as big a part of British culture as they are in America… What do you think made it so appealing for those involved in the 60s?
I feel like you immediately look at bikers and you’re like, “That’s so freaking cool!” I wish I looked like that on the back of a bike!
Jeff speaks very beautifully about this element of nostalgia. It feels like a time that’s gone by as much as we want to replicate it, it’s not going to be what it was. You immediately have this longing for it. It’s just very sexy, in all honesty.
The Bikeriders is in cinemas now.
