The cat and mouse thrills return with Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer in 'Killing Eve'

Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri in season three of the black comedy spy thriller, “Killing Eve”. Picture: BBC

Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri in season three of the black comedy spy thriller, “Killing Eve”. Picture: BBC

Published Sep 12, 2020

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What do you get when a British intelligence investigator and a deadly assassin cross paths? Mayhem. And lots of it.

Of course, that’s pretty much what we saw with Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and Oksana Astankova/ Villanelle (Jodie Comer) for the past two seasons of the black comedy spy thriller.

And the actors are back for the third instalment.

As fans will recall, Eve was left for dead by Villanelle at the end of season two.

On where we find her this season, Oh said: “Eve is in a place of recovery, trauma and trying to heal herself.

“You see her back to her roots, back to safety and comfort. It’s a new place that we’ve never seen her in before.

“But she’s also in a place of great strength, even though it might not look it.

“Weirdly, for the first time, she’s truly independently taking care of herself and doing something specifically for herself.”

Of course, the change is as much a shock to viewers as it is to the former MI6 agent as Eve tries to acclimatise to civilian life by working at a Korean restaurant in New Malden.

Fiona Shaw and Sandra Oh in an intense season in season three of “Killing Eve”. Picture: BBC

However the death the Kenny draws her back to her former life and her hate-hate relationship with Villanelle.

Poles apart from her previous role as Dr Cristina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy, this character is not an easy one to slip into

She agreed: “Every season there is a certain amount of chaos in our job, in trying to make a television show and make it good.

“It’s a very mysterious thing but when challenging chaos is present, somehow I’ve been able to use it creatively.

“Eve’s own life is consumed by chaos – she’s trying to find her way through the mystery of The Twelve and deal with the tremendous chaos and loss that she has undergone.

“You don’t have to step very far to make something creative from that.”

On where things stand with Villanelle and Eve, Oh revealed: “So much has affected her relationships.

“I think the characters, the Eve-Carolyn relationship, the Eve-Villanelle relationship, the Eve-Niko relationship, have really deepened and evolved.

“Because of my relationships with these specific actors, there’s a lot that happens that is not on the page.

“That’s a magical part of our show and I give credit to the cast because of how we approach each other.

Many of us are similar types of actors in how it costs us, to tell the truth, and I really admire that.

Jodie and I don’t actually spend that much time filming together so it makes the scenes between Eve and Villanelle quite powerful.

Jodie and I trust each other very much and we both have our deep understanding of the characters.

It’s wonderful when you’re surprised when everyone thought the scene was about this and then something different happens between the actors.”

Jodie Comer as Oksana Astankova/ Villanelle in the third instalment of, “Killing Eve”. Picture: BBC

Of her character, Comer shared: “Season three picks up six months later and it seems that Villanelle is trying to lead a somewhat normal life and move forward.

“She’s trying to convince herself that she is feeling things that everyday people feel.

“In the opening of the first episode, she’s at an event and gets an unexpected visit from someone in her past who shakes things up within her world.”

She added: “With Villanelle going into her past it’s like seeing her in a whole different world, with a new insight, which is really exciting.

“Everyone’s being tested in different ways and it feels like a couple of the characters come to a point of realisation at the end.

“They’re all on their own trajectories but somehow their worlds collide in this series.

“To really reel people in - I have a scene with Fiona Shaw! At last! You should stick around for that alone.

“I’ve been fighting to get a scene with Fiona since day one so it was a glorious day to shoot.”

*“Killing Eve” 3 airs on Fox (DStv channel 125) on Wednesday at 8.45pm.

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