Jodie Comer Was ‘Running For My Life’ From 28 Years Later’s Infected

When Danny Boyle and Alex Garland unleashed 28 Days Later back in 2002, they also introduced something modern into the horror ecosystem: the running dead. Previously, zombies in cinema had been sluggish, shuffling, shambling things, creeping ever-forward in the night. But the very nature of 28 Days Later’s infected – technically not zombies, but humans who have contracted a blood-spewing rage virus – saw the afflicted sprint at a terrifying pace, with heart-pounding results.

Even decades on, the cardio-prone terrors have lost none of their power – as Jodie Comer found out on the set of Boyle and Garland’s much-anticipated follow-up, 28 Years Later. “The thing about our stunt performers playing the infected is they really don’t take the speed off for you,” she tells Empire. “They chase you. There were so many moments where I felt like I was actually running for my life!” While Comer felt the fear factor, Boyle was caught up in the rush of capturing the film’s action. “He just said, ‘I love this stuff’,” Comer recalls. “I said, ‘Why?’ ‘Because you just have to go there. You can’t fake it. You have to really go there in order for the audience to be with you.’”

The threequel sees Comer play Isla (seen above with Ralph Fiennes’ mysterious Dr. Kelson), who along with Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Jamie is raising their son Spike (Alfie Williams) – a kid who’s never know the world before the rise of infected. “Spike’s a real beacon of light for her,” says Comer. Here’s hoping he’s a good runner, too.

Read Empire’s full 28 Years Later cover story – speaking to Danny Boyle, Alex Garland, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes and more about the long-awaited return of one of the 21st century’s greatest horror stories – in the March 2025 issue, on sale Thursday 16 January. Pre-order a copy online here. 28 Years Later comes to UK cinemas from 20 June.