Jessica Henwick facts for kids

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

Jessica Yu-Li Henwick (born August 30, 1992) is a British actress, writer, and director. She started her career in 2010. Jessica is famous for her roles in many popular TV shows and movies. These include Game of Thrones, Iron Fist, and The Matrix Resurrections. She also appeared in The Gray Man and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Jessica's first time directing was for the short film Bus Girl, which was nominated for a BAFTA award.

Early Life and Education

Jessica Henwick grew up in Surrey, England. Her mother is Singaporean-Chinese and her father is English. Jessica has two brothers, one older and one younger. Her father, Mark, became an author in 2012. He writes urban fantasy books.

Jessica went to Collingwood College in Camberley. She also trained at Redroofs Theatre School for a short time. Later, she trained with the National Youth Theatre.

Jessica's Acting Career

Starting Her Career

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

In 2013, Jessica acted in her first professional play. It was called Running on the Cracks. Critics praised her performance, saying she was "outstanding." Later that year, Jessica played Jane Jeong Trenka in the drama Obsession: Dark Desires. She also joined the cast of Silk as a new lawyer, Amy. She played Amy again in the radio show Silk: The Clerks' Room.

Becoming a Star

In 2015, Jessica joined the cast of the HBO series Game of Thrones. She played Nymeria Sand from Season 5 to Season 7. Jessica also had a small role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the X-wing pilot Jess Pava. This character became a favorite among fans.

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

In 2020, Jessica appeared in the science fiction movie Underwater. She also starred in Love and Monsters and On the Rocks. That same year, The Hollywood Reporter called her 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. Many critics said she was the best part of the movie. She won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Gold List Honors for her work.

In 2022, Jessica was in two very popular Netflix movies: The Gray Man and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. She also directed her short film Bus Girl. She filmed it using a smartphone while taking a break from Glass Onion. Bus Girl was nominated for a BAFTA award for Best Short Film.

In 2023, Jessica joined the movie The Royal Hotel. Her performance was highly praised. In 2024, she 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.

Writing and Directing

In 2020, it was announced that Amazon would make Nancy Wu Done It. This is a young adult series that Jessica helped write. She is also working on 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.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Stage

Radio

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Jessica Henwick para niños