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Jessica Henwick
Jessica Henwick at an interview for 'The Royal Hotel'.png
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 Henwick
Chinese 李玉
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Lǐ Yù

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

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
The Land of Sometimes Mum (voice)
TBA Huntington Post production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2010 Spirit Warriors Bo Main role, 10 episodes
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
Lewis Chloe Ilson Guest role, 2 episodes
2015–2017 Game of Thrones Nymeria Sand Recurring role, 8 episodes
2017 Fortitude Bianca Mankyo Episode: #2.1
2017–2018 Iron Fist Colleen Wing Main role, 23 episodes
2017 The Defenders Main role, 6 episodes
2018 Luke Cage Guest star,
Episode: "Wig Out"
2020–present Blood of Zeus Alexia Voice; main role, 15 episodes
2021–2023 Moley Dotty Voice; main role, 45 episodes; also writer
2021–2022 Blade Runner: Black Lotus Elle Voice; main role
2022 Carpool Karaoke: The Series Self Episode: "Simu Liu & Jessica Henwick"
2024 Twilight of the Gods Sandraudiga Voice; 3 episodes
2025–present Silo Helen Main role

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
2016 Accolade Competition Award of Excellence (shared: Lourdes Faberes + Giles Alderson) The Heart of the Forest Won
2017 Asians on Film Festival Best Original Script (shared with Lourdes Faberes) Won
Best Ensemble Nominated
Variety Top Breakout Star Iron Fist Won
2020 Newport Beach Film Festival Festival Honors Award – Brit to Watch Underwater Won
The Hollywood Reporter The Hollywood Reporter Rising Young Star Film/TV career so far Won
2021 Gold List Honors Best Supporting Actress The Matrix Resurrections Won
2022 Birmingham Film Festival Audience Award Xiaomi's Bus Girl Won
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
Hollywood Critics Association Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Awards Won
2023 Gold Derby Awards Best Ensemble Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Nominated
British Academy Film Awards Best British Short Film Bus Girl Nominated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Jessica Henwick para niños

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