Jodie Comer on life without milestones: 'I'm learning to honour myself'
Synopsis
Jodie Comer has never believed in life milestones. Instead, the Killing Eve and Star Wars actress is on a quest to know herself—and she's decided to give her own wellbeing the same priority she gives her acclaimed career. In a candid interview, she also reveals how her lack of classical training once made her feel like a fraud, and how her raw emotional accessibility has become her greatest artistic asset.
Key Takeaways
Jodie Comer has deliberately avoided setting predetermined life milestones, instead focusing on self-discovery and personal growth.
The actress is prioritising self-care and personal wellbeing with equal energy to her acting career.
Comer grew up in a working-class background in Liverpool without formal classical drama training, which initially fuelled imposter syndrome.
She credits her emotional accessibility—cultivated from a young age—as her core strength in inhabiting complex characters.
Roles requiring deep emotional exploration and unfamiliar experiences are what drive her artistically, she told Harper's Bazaar UK .
Actress Jodie Comer, known for roles in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Free Guy, The End We Start From, and 28 Years Later, has revealed that she has deliberately avoided mapping out her life with predetermined milestones, instead prioritising self-discovery and personal wellbeing alongside her acting career. Speaking to Harper's Bazaar UK, the Killing Eve star opened up about her unconventional approach to career planning and the journey toward self-care.
On living without a master plan
Comer explained that her lack of structured life goals has shaped her approach to work and personal growth. "I've never really had milestones like, 'I want to be here by this time; this is where I see my life.' Maybe that's detrimental sometimes, because I can be a bit loosey-goosey," she told the magazine. Instead of chasing external benchmarks, she has shifted her focus inward, emphasising the importance of self-awareness and authenticity in an industry often driven by external validation.
The quest for self-knowledge
The Liverpool-born actress described her current life philosophy as a continuous journey of understanding herself. "Everything now is about being on a quest to know who I am, to be able to take care of myself and listen to myself and honour myself," Comer said. She highlighted how society conditions people to seek outside opinions and validation, when often the answers lie within. "I think we are always seeking exterior opinion, validation and advice, but a lot of the time, we know innately what we need, what we desire, so it is a case of just reconnecting with that."
Balancing career and self-care
Despite her deep commitment to her craft, Comer stressed the necessity of investing equal energy in her own wellbeing. "I love my job and I'm very grateful for it, but it's important to give just as much energy to myself," she remarked. This rebalancing reflects a broader shift in how she views her responsibilities—no longer subordinating personal needs to professional demands.
Overcoming imposter syndrome
Coming from a working-class background without formal drama training, Comer has grappled with self-doubt throughout her career. "Part of me has always felt like a bit of a fraud for that. I had an insecurity about not being classically trained," she admitted. She noted discomfort when discussions turn to canonical theatrical works, acknowledging that admitting unfamiliarity feels risky in elite circles. However, this perceived gap has not diminished her ability to connect emotionally with characters—a strength she has cultivated since childhood.
Drawing on emotional depth
Comer recalled how her drama teacher once cautioned her about channelling emotion too early in her craft. "My emotions were very accessible to me at such a young age. I remember my drama teacher saying, 'What you have is amazing, but you can't be crying before you've even started.' All this stuff was inside me and I didn't quite know what to do with it," she shared. This early emotional openness has become her artistic signature, driving her choice of roles that demand psychological exploration. "That type of material invigorates me. The work in which I am having to explore an emotion very deeply, or inhabit an experience so far from my own, or leave an experience feeling spent, like I've explored something I couldn't really explain, is what propels me," she explained.
Point of View
But for now, she is modelling something the industry rarely celebrates: intentional groundlessness.
NationPress
12 May 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Jodie Comer mean by not having milestones?
Comer has not set predetermined life goals or a structured career roadmap. Instead of aiming to reach specific positions by certain ages, she approaches life and career more fluidly, focusing on self-discovery and personal growth rather than external benchmarks.
Why does Jodie Comer feel like a fraud as an actress?
She grew up in a working-class background in Liverpool and was not classically trained in drama, unlike many of her peers in the industry. This gap made her feel insecure and like an outsider, though her emotional accessibility has proven to be a significant strength.
How does Jodie Comer choose her acting roles?
Comer seeks out roles that challenge her emotionally and psychologically—parts that require her to explore unfamiliar experiences or dive deeply into complex emotions. She is drawn to material that leaves her feeling spent and introspective after performance.
What is Jodie Comer's current priority alongside acting?
She is prioritising self-care, self-knowledge, and personal wellbeing with equal energy to her professional career. She emphasises the importance of listening to herself and honouring her own needs rather than constantly seeking external validation.
