Jessica Yu-Li Henwick (born 30 August 1992) is a British actress, writer and director. She began her career in 2010 and is best known for her roles in Game of Thrones, Iron Fist, Love and Monsters, The Defenders, Silk, The Matrix Resurrections, The Gray Man, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and The Royal Hotel. Her directorial debut Bus Girl was nominated for a BAFTA.[1]
Early life[]
Henwick is from Surrey,[2] the daughter of a Singaporean-Chinese mother of Teochew descent and a Zambian-born English father.[3][4][5] Her father, Mark, became an author in 2012 who wrote the urban fantasy series Bite Back.[6] She has two brothers, one older and one younger.[5]
Henwick attended Collingwood College in Camberley.[7] She trained briefly at Redroofs Theatre School before dropping out.[8] She also trained with the National Youth Theatre under the tutelage of Rikki Beadle-Blair.[9]
Career[]
Early career[]
Henwick happened upon a casting call in Chinatown, London and her mother encouraged her to pursue the opportunity.[10] In June 2009, it was announced Henwick had been cast in the lead role of Bo in the CBBC series Spirit Warriors,[11] making her the first actress of East Asian descent to play the lead role in a British television series.[12][13][14][15]
In early 2013, Henwick made her professional theatre debut in the international premiere of Running on the Cracks, based on the book by Julia Donaldson. The Guardian wrote, "with tremendous physical presence, Henwick captures the sense of adolescent righteousness, passion and confusion of a girl trying to create order in an unfair universe."[16] Theatre critic Joyce McMillan wrote that Henwick was "outstanding as Leo".[17]
Later that year, Henwick was cast as Jane Jeong Trenka in the drama Obsession: Dark Desires about Trenka's stalking in Minnesota, 1991, which she details in her book The Language of Blood.[18] Henwick joined the cast of Silk as new barrister pupil Amy. She reprised her role for the spin-off radio series Silk: The Clerks' Room.[19]
International breakthrough[]
In 2015, Henwick joined the cast of the HBO series Game of Thrones in Season 5 as Nymeria Sand. She continued performing the role until Season 7.[20] Henwick originally auditioned for the role of Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens before losing out to Daisy Ridley for the role.[21] Nevertheless, she still had a role in the film as the X-wing pilot Jess Pava. The character became a fan favourite.[22][23]
In 2017, Henwick appeared as Colleen Wing in the Netflix television series Iron Fist. Although critical reception of Iron Fist was generally negative, Henwick's performance in the series was well received.[24] She reprised the role for the series The Defenders, as well as the second season of Luke Cage.[25] At the end of 2017, Henwick was listed as one of Variety's Top Breakout Stars.[26]
In 2018, Henwick was cast in Godzilla vs. Kong,[27][28] though her part as well as Zhang Ziyi's role did not make the released theatrical cut.[29]
In 2020, Henwick co-starred in the Fox science fiction thriller Underwater,[30] and the films Love and Monsters and Sofia Coppola's On the Rocks.[31] That same year she was listed as one of The Hollywood Reporter's Rising Stars[32] and won the Brit to Watch award at the Newport Beach Film Festival.[33] The following year she starred in The Matrix Resurrections. IGN called Henwick the "best part of Resurrections",[34] while Deadline Hollywood said she was "what makes the movie worth watching".[35] She was nominated and won Best Supporting Actress on the Gold list Honors for the most outstanding Asian achievements in the film industry.[36]
In 2022, Henwick was in two of the most highly viewed Netflix films of all time, The Gray Man and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.[37] She directed her short film Bus Girl, shot entirely on a smartphone during a break from filming Glass Onion. It was nominated for a BAFTA award for Best Short Film.[38]
In 2023, Henwick joined the cast of The Royal Hotel directed by Kitty Green.[39][40] Her performance was well reviewed[41][42] with The Hollywood Reporter calling her 'superb'.[43] The film received an 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes.[44]
In 2024, Henwick appeared in Cuckoo opposite Hunter Schafer[45] and reprised her role in the second season of animated series Blood of Zeus.[46]
Writing[]
In 2020, it was announced Amazon had picked up Nancy Wu Done It, a young adult series that Henwick co-wrote.[47] She has a miniseries in development with Emu Films.[48]
In 2022, Henwick wrote an episode for the animated series Moley.[49] Henwick won the Mary Pickford prize for female filmmaker, for the Xiaomi short film ‘Bus Girl’ that she wrote, starred in and directed.[50] The short was nominated for the BAFTA awards in 2023.[51] She wrote and directed the sequel ‘Sandwich Man’ the following year.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold | Globe Girl | Uncredited | |
| 2014 | Dr Liebenstein | Rachel | ||
| 2015 | Dragonfly | Paula Reid | ||
| Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Jessika "Testor" Pava | |||
| 2016 | The Head Hunter | Aiko Koo | ||
| The Heart of the Forest | Akira | Short film; also writer | ||
| Balsa Wood | Scotty | |||
| 2017 | Newness | Joanne | ||
| Rice on White | Elena | |||
| 2018 | Yo! My Saint | Muse | with Kenzo | |
| 2019 | Baliko | Mara | Short film; also writer | |
| 2020 | Underwater | Emily Haversham | ||
| On the Rocks | Fiona Saunders | |||
| Love and Monsters | Aimee | |||
| 2021 | The Matrix Resurrections | Bugs | ||
| 2022 | The Gray Man | Suzanne Brewer | ||
| Bus Girl[52] | June | Short film; also director and writer | ||
| Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery | Peg | [53] | ||
| 2023 | The Royal Hotel | Liv | ||
| 2024 | Cuckoo | Beth | [54] | |
| The Land of Sometimes | Mum (voice) | [55] | ||
| TBA | Huntington | Filming | [56] |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Spirit Warriors | Bo | Main role, 10 episodes | [57] |
| 2012 | The Thick of It | Charlotte | Episode: #4.1 | |
| 2014 | Obsession: Dark Desires | Jane Jeong Trenka | Episode: "Silent Scream" | |
| Silk | Amy Lang | Main role, 5 episodes | [58] | |
| Lewis | Chloe Ilson | Guest role, 2 episodes | ||
| 2015–2017 | Game of Thrones | Nymeria Sand | Recurring role, 8 episodes | [59] |
| 2017 | Fortitude | Bianca Mankyo | Episode: #2.1 | |
| 2017–2018 | Iron Fist | Colleen Wing | Main role, 23 episodes | [60] |
| 2017 | The Defenders | Main role, 6 episodes | [61] | |
| 2018 | Luke Cage | Episode: "Wig Out" | [62] | |
| 2020–present | Blood of Zeus | Alexia | Voice; main role, 15 episodes | [63] |
| 2021–2023 | Moley | Dotty | Voice; main role, 45 episodes; also writer | [64] |
| 2021–2022 | Blade Runner: Black Lotus | Elle | Voice; main role | [65] |
| 2022 | Carpool Karaoke: The Series | Self | Episode: "Simu Liu & Jessica Henwick" | [66] |
| 2024 | Twilight of the Gods | Sandraudiga | Post production | [67] |
Video games[]
| Year | Title | Voice Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–2016 | Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey | Enu Hanna Roth |
|
| 2022 | Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Jessika "Testor" Pava |
Stage[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Running on the Cracks | Leo | National tour |
Radio[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–2012 | North by Northamptonshire | Helen | BBC Radio Four |
| 2013 | Monday to Friday | Julie | BBC Radio Scotland |
| 2014–2015 | Silk: The Clerks Room | Amy Lang | Series 1 & 2 |
| 2020 | Harrow Lake | Narrator | |
| The Long Way Home | Narrator | ||
| 2021 | Hold Still Vincent | Faye |
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Accolade Competition | Award of Excellence (shared: Lourdes Faberes + Giles Alderson) | The Heart of the Forest | Won | [68][69] |
| 2017 | Asians on Film Festival | Best Original Script (shared with Lourdes Faberes) | Won | [68][70] | |
| Best Ensemble | Nominated | [68][70] | |||
| Variety | Top Breakout Star | Iron Fist | Won | [26] | |
| 2020 | Newport Beach Film Festival | Festival Honors Award – Brit to Watch | Underwater | Won | [68][33][71] |
| The Hollywood Reporter | The Hollywood Reporter Rising Young Star | Film/TV career so far | Won | [32] | |
| 2021 | Gold List Honors | Best Supporting Actress | The Matrix Resurrections | Won | [68][36] |
| 2022 | Birmingham Film Festival | Audience Award | Xiaomi's Bus Girl | Won | [68] |
| Coronado Island Film Festival | Narrative Shorts | Won | |||
| Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Female Director | Won | ||||
| Satellite Awards | Best Ensemble | Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery | Won | [72] | |
| Hollywood Critics Association | Nominated | [72] | |||
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Won | [72] | |||
| 2023 | Gold Derby Awards | Best Ensemble | Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best British Short Film | Bus Girl | Nominated | [51] |
References[]
- ↑ British Short Film – an Irish Goodbye (18 January 2023).
- ↑ Specter, Francesca (23 November 2022). Glass Onion's Jessica Henwick on 'Imposter Syndrome', on-screen diversity and her obsession with 3,000-piece jigsaw puzzles. Glamour. Condé Nast.
- ↑ Liang, Lu-Hai (17 October 2013). Where exactly are my British Chinese role models?. New Statesman.
- ↑ Begum, Mumtaj (11 April 2015). Jessica Henwick is the new face in Game of Thrones.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Yee, Yip Wai (7 May 2015). Game of Thrones newbie Jessica Henwick on her Singapore roots.
- ↑ Moosavi, Ali (11 June 2020). Dreamer and Performer: An Interview with Jessica Henwick and her Father, Novelist Mark Henwick. Filmint.
- ↑ Alumni. Collingwood College.
- ↑ Yossman, KJ (2023-03-01). 'Glass Onion' Star Jessica Henwick on Writing, Directing BAFTA-Nominated Short 'Bus Girl'. Variety..
- ↑ Silk – Amy Lang. BBC.
- ↑ Template:Cite journal
- ↑ Bo and the Spirit World casting news (3 June 2009).
- ↑ LaCava, Stephanie (14 February 2017). Jessica Henwick (en-US). Interview.
- ↑ Jessica Henwick: The Hapa Franchise Queen on Growing up Between Two Cultures.
- ↑ Goldman, Justin (15 December 2021). 'The Matrix Resurrections' Star Jessica Henwick Finally Breaks Through (en-US). Hemispheres.
- ↑ Thomas, Shane (30 September 2013). Actors of Colour. Media Diversified.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mark Fisher (18 February 2013). "Running on the Cracks – review | Stage". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ↑ McMillan, Joyce (8 February 2013). Theatre review: Running On The Cracks, Tron, Glasgow (en-GB). The Scotsman.
- ↑ Shows. Crime and Investigation.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."TV drama Silk in radio spin-off". BBC News. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hibberd, James (23 July 2017). "'Game of Thrones': Sand Snake Actress on That Brutal Episode ending". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ↑ 'Star Wars': Jessica Henwick admits it was "very hard" losing Rey role to Daisy Ridley (en-GB) (9 November 2020).
- ↑ Wang, Tiffany (2020-10-17). Why Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Cut Force Awakens Resistance Pilot Jess Pava (en).
- ↑ Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (2016-01-06). 'Star Wars' fandom is in love with Jessika Pava, the female X-wing pilot from 'The Force Awakens' (en-US).
- ↑ Patten, Dominic (8 March 2017). 'Iron Fist' Review: Jessica Henwick & Rosario Dawson Are Real Muscle In Marvel Series (en-US). Deadline.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hibberd, James (1 April 2016). "Marvel's Iron Fist casts The Force Awakens actress in lead role". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Otterson, Joe (18 December 2017). Top Breakout TV Stars of 2017 (en-US). Variety.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (2018-11-09). ‘Game of Thrones’ Actress Jessica Henwick Joins ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ (EXCLUSIVE) (en-US).
- ↑ Holmes, Adam (2022-04-08). Godzilla Vs. Kong Star Shares How Their Role Got Drastically Changed In The MonsterVerse Movie (en).
- ↑ Cooper, Dan (11 April 2022). Details emerge of a different Godzilla Vs Kong cut.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (7 March 2017). T.J. Miller, Jessica Henwick Join Kristen Stewart in Thriller 'Underwater' (EXCLUSIVE) (en-US). Variety.
- ↑ 'Game Of Thrones' Jessica Henwick Joins Sofia Coppola's 'On The Rocks' (en-US). Deadline (5 June 2019).
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 Next Gen Talent 2020: The Hollywood Reporter's Rising Young Stars Revealed (en-US) (18 November 2020).
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Lyus, Jon (30 January 2020). Newport Beach Film Festival Red Carpet Interviews – Asa Butterfield, Alice Eve, Richard E. Grant, Gugu Mbatha-Raw & many more (en-US).
- ↑ Emberwing, Amelia (21 December 2021). The Matrix Resurrections Review (en-US).
- ↑ 'The Matrix Resurrections' Review: Follow-Up to 'The Matrix Revolutions'. deadline.com (21 December 2021).
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 Del Rosario, Alexandra (18 January 2022). Tony Leung, Gemma Chan & 'Flee' Among Gold House & CAPE 2022 Gold List Honorees (en-US). Deadline.
- ↑ Bell, BreAnna (3 January 2023). 'Glass Onion' Becomes Netflix's Third Most Watched Film in 10-Day Period (en-US).
- ↑ 'Glass Onion' Star Jessica Henwick on Writing, Directing BAFTA-Nominated Short 'Bus Girl' (EXCLUSIVE) (March 2023).
- ↑ 'The Royal Hotel' Review: Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick View Men from a Female Gaze in Kitty Green's Return to Australian Filmmaking – Toronto Film Festival (11 September 2023).
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lee, Benjamin (15 September 2023). "The Royal Hotel review – feminist thriller starts strong but can't stay the course". The Guardian.
- ↑ 'The Royal Hotel' Review: Julia Garner Fends off a Town Full of Horny Miners in Kitty Green's Harrowing Outback Thriller (2 September 2023).
- ↑ The Royal Hotel (11 March 2023).
- ↑ 'The Royal Hotel' Review: Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick in Kitty Green's Bruising Outback Drama (3 September 2023).
- ↑ The Royal Hotel - Rotten Tomatoes.
- ↑ Berlin unveils an exciting array of fresh titles for Berlinale Special and Generation (20 December 2023).
- ↑ Massoto, Erick (10 November 2023). 'Blood of Zeus' Season 2 Sets May Release Date With New Sneak Peek.
- ↑ Amazon Sets Mystery-Comedy 'Nancy Wu Done It' From Kai Yu Wu And Jessica Henwick (en-US). Deadline (23 June 2020).
- ↑ Lola, Lauren (16 September 2020). Jessica Henwick: The Hapa Franchise Queen on Growing Up Between Two Cultures.
- ↑ Jessica Henwick (en-US).
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Festival, Coronado Island Film. "The 2022 Coronado Island Film Festival announces Filmmaker Awards and $20,000 in cash prizes". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 Longlists, 2022 EE British Academy Film Awards (16 December 2021).
- ↑ King, Jack (3 December 2021). Jessica Henwick Revealed Her New Short Film Was Shot Entirely on Smartphones (en-US).
- ↑ Game of Thrones star Jessica Henwick teases her villain in Netflix's The Gray Man (en-GB) (25 November 2022).
- ↑ Jessica Henwick | Actress, Writer, Director (en-US).
- ↑ Yossman, K. J. (2024-05-08). Jessica Henwick, Alisha Weir Join Ewan McGregor in Animated Feature ‘The Land of Sometimes’ (EXCLUSIVE) (en-US).
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (2024-06-07). Jessica Henwick Among Those Joining Glen Powell In Studiocanal’s ‘Huntington’; First Look Unveiled As Production Begins (en-US).
- ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/12_december/21/spirit3.shtml
- ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01sx3gs
- ↑ https://ew.com/tv/2017/06/27/game-of-thrones-jessica-henwick-season-7/
- ↑ https://ew.com/article/2016/04/01/iron-fist-jessica-henwick/
- ↑ https://geektyrant.com/news/jessica-henwick-claims-fans-will-freak-out-for-defenders
- ↑ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/one-piece-director-adapting-manga-netflix-marc-jobst-interview-1235577459/
- ↑ Evans, Greg (12 March 2019). Netflix Orders 'Gods & Heroes' Greek Mythology Anime Series (en-US).
- ↑ https://www.everand.com/podcast/612661713/Jessica-Henwick-chats-all-things-Moley-season-2
- ↑ Mateo, Alex (7 July 2021). Blade Runner: Black Lotus Anime Reveals English/Japanese Casts.
- ↑ https://screenrant.com/carpool-karaoke-jessica-henwick-simu-liu-clip/
- ↑ Ankers-Range, Adele (2024-04-25). Zack Snyder's Twilight of the Gods Netflix Series Gets First Image Ahead of Its Release This Fall (en).
- ↑ 68.0 68.1 68.2 68.3 68.4 68.5 Jessica Henwick Awards.
- ↑ Winners November 2016 |.
- ↑ 70.0 70.1 Asians on Film Festival of Shorts 2017 Award Nominees (22 December 2016).
- ↑ NBFF 2020 UK Honours.
- ↑ 72.0 72.1 72.2 SAG Ensemble head-scratcher: 'Glass Onion' could shake up important precursor race (23 December 2022).
External links[]
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