Jessica Henwick facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jessica Henwick
Henwick in 2023
Born	Jessica Henwick (1992-08-30) 30 August 1992 (age 32) Surrey, England
Occupation	Actress writer director
Years active	2009–present

Jessica Henwick (born August 30, 1992) is a talented British actress, writer, and director. She started her career in 2009. Jessica is well-known for her roles in popular shows and movies. These include Game of Thrones (2015–17), Iron Fist (2017–18), The Matrix Resurrections (2021), and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). Her first film as a director, Bus Girl, was even nominated for a BAFTA award!

About Jessica Henwick

Her Family and Background

Jessica Henwick grew up in Surrey, England. Her mother is from Singapore and has Teochew Chinese roots. Her father is English and was born in Zambia. Jessica's father, Mark, is also an author. He started writing in 2012 and created a fantasy book series called Bite Back. Jessica has two brothers, one older and one younger.

Her Education and Training

Jessica went to Collingwood College in Camberley. She also trained for a short time at Redroofs Theatre School. Later, she learned acting skills with the National Youth Theatre. There, she was taught by Rikki Beadle-Blair, a well-known director and writer.

Jessica's Acting Career

Starting Her Journey

Jessica found a chance to audition for a role in Chinatown, London. Her mother encouraged her to try out. In 2009, Jessica was chosen to play the main character, Bo, in the CBBC show Spirit Warriors. This was a big deal because she was the first actress of East Asian descent to have a lead role in a British TV series.

In 2013, Jessica performed in her first professional play. It was called Running on the Cracks. Critics praised her performance, saying she showed great energy and captured the feelings of a young girl trying to make sense of the world. Later that year, Jessica played Jane Jeong Trenka in a drama called Obsession: Dark Desires. She also joined the cast of the TV show Silk as a new lawyer, Amy. She even played Amy again in a radio show spin-off.

Becoming a Global Star

In 2015, Jessica joined the cast of the popular HBO series Game of Thrones. She played Nymeria Sand in Season 5 and continued until Season 7. Before this, Jessica auditioned for the role of Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She didn't get that part, but she still appeared in the film as Jess Pava, an X-wing pilot. This character became a favorite among fans!

Jessica Henwick in 2017

In 2017, Jessica starred as Colleen Wing in the Netflix TV series Iron Fist. Even though the show itself received mixed reviews, many people loved Jessica's performance. She played Colleen Wing again in The Defenders and in the second season of Luke Cage. By the end of 2017, Variety magazine named her one of their Top Breakout Stars.

Jessica was cast in the movie Godzilla vs. Kong in 2018. However, her part was not included in the final version of the film shown in cinemas.

In 2020, Jessica appeared in several movies. These included the science fiction thriller Underwater, Love and Monsters, and Sofia Coppola's On the Rocks. That same year, The Hollywood Reporter listed her as a Rising Star. She also won the 'Brit to Watch' award at the Newport Beach Film Festival. The next year, she starred in The Matrix Resurrections. Critics praised her role, with IGN calling her the "best part of Resurrections". She won Best Supporting Actress at the Gold List Honors for her amazing work.

In 2022, Jessica was in two of the most-watched Netflix movies ever: The Gray Man and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. She also directed her own short film, Bus Girl, which was filmed on a smartphone while she was working on Glass Onion. This short film was nominated for a BAFTA award for Best Short Film.

In 2023, Jessica joined the cast of The Royal Hotel. Her performance in the film was highly praised by critics. In 2024, Jessica appeared in Cuckoo. For this role, she learned American Sign Language. She also returned to voice Alexia in the second season of the animated series Blood of Zeus.

Jessica has several exciting projects coming up in 2025. She joined the cast of the TV series Silo. She also has roles in upcoming films like Huntington and The Roots Manoeuvre, and a Netflix show based on the book Vladimir.

Jessica as a Writer

In 2020, it was announced that Amazon picked up Nancy Wu Done It. This is a young adult series that Jessica co-wrote. She is also developing a miniseries with Emu Films.

In 2022, Jessica wrote an episode for the animated series Moley. She won the Mary Pickford prize for female filmmakers for her short film Bus Girl. She wrote, starred in, and directed this film. Bus Girl was nominated for a BAFTA award in 2023. The next year, she wrote and directed a sequel called Sandwich Man.

Film and TV Roles

Movies

Year	Title	Role	Notes
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	June	Short film; also director and writer
	Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery	Peg
2023	The Royal Hotel	Liv
2024	Cuckoo	Beth
2025	The Land of Sometimes	Mum (voice)	Post production
	Huntington		Post production
	The Roots Maneouvre		Pre production

Television Shows

Video Games

Stage Plays

Radio Shows

Awards and Recognitions

See also

In Spanish: Jessica Henwick para niños