After half a decade of build-up, The Rise of Skywalker has finally introduced Rey's
parents, one of whom is a familiar face to fans of prestige television.
Here's why Rey's mother in The Rise of Skywalker looks so familiar.
It may just be a brief flashback moment, but Jodie Comer's appearance as Rey's mom in the
final film in the Skywalker saga is a pretty huge deal for the 26-year-old Liverpool-born
actress, who's primarily worked in British TV.
After getting her start in theatre as a young actress, Comer worked a series of odd jobs,
including as a checkout girl at Britain's Tesco chain of supermarkets, before finally
booking her first television gig in a 2008 guest role on medical soap The Royal Today,
a spin-off of the popular ITV series The Royal.
From there, Comer went on to appear on shows like Law & Order: UK, Vera, Doctors, Casualty,
and more, before booking a plum role on My Mad, Fat Diary in 2013.
Based on Rae Earl's novel My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary, the E4 series featured Comer as Chloe,
the popular, pretty childhood best friend of the show's main character Rachael, played
by Sharon Rooney.
Overall, My Mad, Fat Diary received critical acclaim and even several BAFTA nominations,
putting Comer on a path to stardom.
"And, well, you know the rest!"
From there, Comer built up her resume by appearing on several acclaimed miniseries produced through
BBC, including BBC Three's Thirteen, which earned Comer a nomination for Best Actress
at the British Academy Television Awards, and Rillington Place.
Some of the series eventually made their way across the pond to the U.S., where Comer's
profile is steadily rising.
Comer was no stranger to historical dramas and period pieces; in 2015, she appeared in
an adaptation of the classic novel Lady Chatterley's Lover on BBC One, but 2017's The White Princess
was the first big stepping stone in her career.
A sequel to BBC and Starz's miniseries The White Queen, which starred Mission: Impossible's
Rebecca Ferguson as Elizabeth Woodville, a commoner who marries King Edward IV and becomes
queen, The White Princess tells the story of Elizabeth of York, the daughter of Edward
and Woodville who marries Henry Tudor and eventually mothers Henry VIII, one of England's
bloodiest and most notorious monarchs.
Both series are based on books by Philippa Gregory, a prominent historical fiction author.
"A puppet for my mother's own ambition.
It was her who craved the throne for me."
The White Princess gave Comer a chance to show her considerable range as Elizabeth ascends,
somewhat unwillingly, to the throne alongside her new husband, who's considered by most
to be a usurper.
But even those who had been following Jodie Comer for years were unprepared for what was
to come for the vibrant young actress.
The most important role of Jodie Comer's career thus far arrived shortly after her turn on
The White Princess.
In June 2017, she scored the part of Russian assassin and verifiable psychopath Villanelle
on the BBC series Killing Eve.
On the show, which was created by Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Villanelle is a fabulous
yet frightening contract killer who develops a fascination with Sandra Oh's Eve, an MI6
agent tracking her whereabouts.
As the two powerful women dance around each other, leaving a bloody trail in their wake,
the drama and connection between them only deepens.
"I think you're going to bleed to death."
"What?"
Comer beat out more than 100 other actresses to win the role of Villanelle, and her efforts
clearly paid off handsomely.
Thanks to her layered, terrifying performance, which also requires the use of numerous accents
and languages, Comer has skyrocketed to fame, earning a spot on The Hollywood Reporter's
list of rising stars in 2018.
"I shot him twice in the heart and watched the spark drain from his eyes."
Both Comer and Oh, the latter of whom returned to the small screen after years on ABC's hit
drama series Grey's Anatomy, have won multiple awards for their work on Killing Eve.
Oh won a Golden Globe for Best Actress, Television Series Drama in 2018, a SAG Award in 2019,
and multiple Emmy nods.
As for Comer, she scored the top prize of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
at the 2019 Emmy Awards.
Comer herself and the series as a whole also scored nominations for the 2020 Golden Globe
Awards, which will air on January 5, 2020.
Of course, Comer will appear on the third season of Killing Eve.
There's no release date yet, but so far, the show has added other familiar faces to the
cast, including Game of Thrones' Gemma Whelan and Succession's Dame Harriet Walter.
Now that Comer has earned enough fame and acclaim to snag a coveted Star Wars cameo,
there's nowhere she can go but up, and her next role has a pretty high profile as well.
In July 2020, Comer will appear in Shawn Levy's Free Guy alongside a star-studded cast that
includes Ryan Reynolds, Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, and Stranger Things' Joe Keery,
and more.
The film focuses on an NPC character in a video game, Guy, who must figure out how to
crack the code of the game before his entire world is erased.
"I'm not gonna be the good guy.
I'm gonna be the great guy."
"Okay.
Well, enjoy your lifetime supply of virginity!"
Comer's star is clearly on the rise, and despite her tiny role as Rey's mother in The Rise
of Skywalker, fans of Killing Eve, White Princess, and any of her smaller roles likely clocked
the distinctive actress right away.
The role of Rey's mother was brief but also incredibly pivotal, so in the end, it makes
sense that the powers that be at Lucasfilm would want to cast such a powerful performer.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theaters now, and the first two seasons of Killing
Eve are both currently streaming on Hulu.
Catch Jodie Comer on the big screen once more when Free Guy hits cinemas on July 3, 2020.
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