The Bikeriders: Jodie Comer Talks Perfecting Her Chicago Accent

We talked to Jodie Comer about playing Kathy in The Bikeriders.

By Jamie Jirak

The Bikeriders is now playing in theaters, and the new Jeff Nichols film is currently up on Rotten Tomatoes with an 82% critics score. The film follows a motorcycle club in the 1960s and is based on a photography book by Danny Lyon. The movie stars Austin Butler (Dune: Part Two) as Benny, Tom Hardy (Venom) as Johnny, Michael Shannon (Midnight Special) as Zipco, Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead) as Funny Sonny, and Boyd Holbrook (Logan) as Cal, who are all members of the gang. The film also stars Mike Faist (Challengers) as Danny Lyon and Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) as Kathy, Benny's wife. ComicBook recently spoke to Comer about the film and explained why the film was so relatable. We also asked how she managed to capture Kathy's thick Chicago accent. 

"Well, it was interesting because I knew Kathy was from North Chicago, but when I got the audio of her when Danny Lyons interviewed her in the 1960s, and I started working with my dialect coach, my dialect coach Victoria was like, 'Every vowel sound is a contradiction.' She was like, 'There's so much here that doesn't make sense if you're going to do a kind of generic Chicago accent.'"

"So she was like, 'What do you want to do?' And I was like, 'Oh, I want to get as close to this audio as I possibly can. That's my only kind of interest.' So honestly, it was just about spending time with her in my headphones and trying to understand all of that, all those kind of nuances. And then just having Jeff on set to put my trust in him and for him to let me know when it's not quite right or it needs more or less. So it was a really fun process."

You can watch our interview with Comer at the top of the page. 

Tom Hardy Breaks Down His Character From The Bikeriders:

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(Photo:

Austin Butler and Tom Hardy in The Bikeriders. 

- Focus Features )

In The Bikeriders, Hardy plays Johnny, the leader of The Vandals. While chatting with ComicBook, Hardy spoke about how layered his character is in the film.

"Well, a vulnerability to somebody who externally projects themselves as being something that internally they're not," Hardy explained. "I think that's true of all people. They're a paradox of conflicting drivers. So it is just something that I've noticed for me. Some people, the more exterior, they seem to be frosty or whatever, but lies, sometimes, a much softer and vulnerable sensitive center. Those who disport themselves as sensitive may fall foul of the complete opposite."

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You can read a synopsis of the film here: "THE BIKERIDERS captures a rebellious time in America when the culture and people were changing. After a chance encounter at a local bar, strong-willed Kathy (Jodie Comer) is inextricably drawn to Benny (Austin Butler), the newest member of Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals led by the enigmatic Johnny (Tom Hardy). Much like the country around it, the club begins to evolve, transforming from a gathering place for local outsiders into a dangerous underworld of violence, forcing Benny to choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club."

The Bikeriders is now playing in theaters. 

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