Jodie Comer: Female roles should be as complex as Villanelle

Killing Eve's Jodie Comer says her character Villanelle is how "every female role should be".

Not that she thinks every role needs to be a sadistic-but-charming assassin - but that parts should be complex.

"Sometimes they're not strong, they do make mistakes and we get to explore all these emotions," she told Newsbeat at the Royal Television Society awards.

Jodie won best actress, beating co-star Sandra Oh.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge after realising what she puts viewers of Killing Eve through in every episode

The spy thriller, which was written by Fleabag star and creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, got high praise from critics for its scripting, inclusive storylines and casting mainly female leads.

Jodie, whose character is bisexual in the show, suggests "things can only continue" that way with writers like her in the industry.

"I had confidence and believed in Phoebe and the crew but you can never second guess how a show is going to go down so for it to have gone down so well... I've never had this experience with a show.

"It's definitely resonated with the LGBT community, which is really special.

"It (bisexuality) was always a part of Villanelle and I never questioned it... To have people come up to me in the street and say they enjoy it is always lovely."

Jodie wouldn't shed any light on what Sandra Oh (l) and Fiona Shaw are up to in this scene from series two

The second series of Killing Eve starts in the US next month and will air in the UK shortly after.

Despite Jodie being contractually obliged to stay tight-lipped on the spoiler front, that didn't stop us asking what we can expect.

"The story picks up 30 seconds from where we left off in season one.

"Villanelle is in a very bad way physically and mentally, and I think she's on a real fight for survival.

"I don't think we've ever seen her so vulnerable before the character is in a very different place."

Predictably cryptic. We'll leave you decide what that could mean for one of the most complex characters in TV.

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