“Her honesty and warmth immediately invites the audience into her world”: Jodie Comer on playing Kathy in The Bikeriders

the bikeriders interview with Jodie Comer

Credit: Getty

Film


“Her honesty and warmth immediately invites the audience into her world”: Jodie Comer on playing Kathy in The Bikeriders

By Shahed Ezaydi

9 months ago

6 min read

Ahead of the film’s release, Stylist’s Shahed Ezaydi sat down with Jodie Comer to talk about her role as Kathy in The Bikeriders, mastering such a unique accent and how parts of her character reminded the actor of the women in her own life in Liverpool.


Inspired by his 1967 photography book The Bikeriders, Danny Lyon’s exploration of the motorcycle subculture scene in 1960s Chicago is coming to our screens this week. The film of the same name follows the rise of the Vandals and looks at how the club evolved over a decade from a group of local outsiders to a much more sinister and violent gang.

The Bikeriders is both cinematically beautiful with long, winding panoramic shots while also exploring heavier themes on violence, masculinity and how far some people are willing to go to feel a sense of belonging and community. Directed by Jeff Nichols, the film stars Tom Hardy as Johnny, a truck driver, family man and founder of the motorcycle club, and Austin Butler as Benny, one of the main Vandals in the club’s inner circle.

However, it’s Jodie Comer’s role as Kathy (Benny’s love interest) that ties the story and film together and Stylist sat down with the actor to talk about Kathy, mastering such a difficult accent and how parts of Kathy reminded Comer of the women in her own life in Liverpool.

the bikeriders interview with Jodie Comer

Credit: Focus Features

S: Did you know much about Kathy and the Chicago motorcycle club before getting involved in The Bikeriders? Or was it all a new world for you?

JC: “It was totally new. I got sent the script with a little logline of that the script is loosely based on this book of photographs by Danny Lyon. So, I immediately researched it online and fell in love with his work. I love photography; I’m a real fan of a photographer called Tish Murtha, who created work in a similar vein, with a journalistic approach and community aspect to photography. I’m fascinated by photographers who are able to kind of infiltrate their way into a hub and almost become invisible and capture something really authentic. So, that immediately got me excited.

And then the script was incredible. I had a lovely chat with Jeff about Kathy and how I felt and we were very much on the same page. He told me he had 30 minutes of audio recordings of Kathy being interviewed by Danny and asked if I wanted to have a listen, so I immediately jumped at the opportunity. The characters are so diverse and rich, and then to know that you’re going to be led by Jeff, whose work is so emotionally driven while also cinematically beautiful. It felt like the perfect fit.”

Did you know that Kathy was going to be the narrator of the film when you saw the script?

“There was a lot of dialogue and when I’d listened to the audio recordings a few times, it was clear that Kathy was an amazing storyteller. She was honest, daring and had so much charisma, and this warmth that immediately invites the audience into her world. She was living through this experience with this motorcycle club and all these men but ultimately not feeling safe or comfortable enough to tell them what she thinks. It felt as though Danny was almost the first person who’d ever asked her what she thought and we are seeing her through that very moment.”

There’s a scene with Kathy in the laundromat and Danny is asking her questions. She seems shocked that he’s asking her what she thinks, which was such a powerful scene. Her accent is so intricate, how was it getting into her voice?

“The accent was so detailed. The biggest thing was when I was working with my dialect coach, and Kathy was from Chicago, but all of her vowel sounds contradict each other. My coach asked me if I just wanted to do a generic Chicago accent or attempt to get as close to Kathy’s accent from the audio recordings with the knowledge that no one will ever hear this audio so would never know. It was a choice, but it felt obvious to me and all I wanted to do was try and emulate her.

Then, it becomes about spending time with the text and breaking it down and playing with it – going too far with it and then bringing it back. There was a danger of her becoming a caricature of sorts – which she isn’t – so I always made sure that I kept the conversation with Jeff constantly going and I felt held and trusted by him.”

Which part of Kathy were you the most excited to dive into and explore?

“There was a sensibility in her that I recognise in myself, but also the women I’ve grown up with in Liverpool – women who have this mischievous, vivaciousness, enthusiasm and warmth. And I saw all these qualities in Kathy that I related to, which was lovely. But she also felt so far removed from me that I was interested in how far I could go. How much can I disappear? That was something that I felt I could really embrace with this character, which was quite exciting.”

everything to know about The Bikeriders

Credit: Focus Features

The film is beautifully shot while exploring darker themes around masculinity and violence. How did you approach Kathy’s narration of the story, especially as she does it with such wit and humour?

“Humour, in some ways, is a coping mechanism. Even when Kathy spoke about the bad things that happened to her, she never sounded like she was feeling sorry for herself. She had this distance from the guys and the club and I imagine she was probably playing a little bit of a part while Danny was interviewing her. But I felt like her humour came from her and she wasn’t very self-aware. She would just say things and not think twice about them. She didn’t curate herself or modify herself, which was really refreshing.”

There’s also an interesting full circle moment in the film when Kathy talks about how she’s never seen Benny cry, and we see that change towards the end of the story. What do you think this moment says about emotionality and masculinity?

“The lovely thing about Kathy’s observation is she can feel that these guys found their sense of identity and community in the club, but they’re still not communicating in a way that’s helpful to any of them. They’re talking with their fists and still withholding so much. She can see that some of them want to open up but don’t really know how – especially in a particular scene with Johnny. She wants to shake them a bit and tell them to go for it. There was a beautiful moment with Austin (Butler) at the end of the film which shows his aloofness but also how much he needs that comfort and release.

Men are often suppressed in that way of having to put on a brave face and push everything down. And it’s important to show those more vulnerable parts of yourself. It doesn’t make you any less of a man. These types of learnings happen at such a young age and end up being passed down generations until it’s broken. But imagine how powerful it would be for a man to feel comfortable enough to share that emotional and vulnerable side to himself?”

The Bikeriders is in cinemas Friday 21 June.


Images: Getty; Focus Features 

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