I’ve been following Jessica Henwick’s work for quite some time, but even while keeping a keen eye on her growing filmography, it’s easy to overlook that she’s been in far more major franchises than just about any actor out there. (Something that likely speaks to her range as an artist, ability to lose herself in her roles, and the accomplishment of building a wide-ranging body of work.) Whereas most actors would be lucky to book just one of the biggies, over the years, Henwick has scored roles in the Star Wars franchise, in Game of Thrones, in the Marvel Universe, in The Matrix movies, she voices a character in Blade Runner: Black Lotus, she’s in the second Knives Out movie, Glass Onion, and will star in the final two seasons of the hit Apple TV+ show Silo. And who knows what the future will hold.

In celebration of the release of Vladimir, Henwick visited the Collider Ladies Night studio to discuss making the irresistible eight-episode Netflix show opposite Rachel Weisz and Leo Woodall. She plays Cynthia, Vladimir’s (Woodall) wife. After moving to a new town to take jobs at a local university, Vlad attracts the attention of Weisz’s character, a seasoned professor there. Before long, that initial interest sparks an all-consuming fantasy for her. The question is, will she act on it? In addition to celebrating the release of Vladimir, Henwick also took some time to look back on past achievements, including her truly epic run in the franchise realm.
How Jessica Henwick Got Her ‘Star Wars’ Audition

“I know they saw thousands of girls.”

Jessica Henwick in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.Image via Disney

When Star Wars was gearing up for its big return to the big screen with The Force Awakens, one of the most sought after roles in Hollywood was its lead character, Rey. At that point in her career, Henwick had secured an agent and that agent managed to get her in the door.
“Stars Wars had a big, public casting call, but by this point, I had an agent, and so I thought, ‘If I don’t get in through my agent, that’s it.’ So I didn’t do the public route, but I know they saw thousands of girls then. I guess they didn’t find anyone because then they started going to the agencies. I sent a tape in, I got called back in. For me, that audition process was six months long from beginning to ending.”
As we know, the role ultimately went to Daisy Ridley, but that doesn’t mean Henwick went home empty-handed.
“I got down to the finals for the main role and then, obviously, it went, rightfully so, to Daisy Ridley, and J.J. came back and said, ‘Look, I know it’s been a very long process. I’ve written you a role.’ What I hadn’t realized was he literally wrote a character called Jess. I said yes, and she ended up having quite a big life outside of the film. There are all these comic books now, and she’s got a couple of books about her. It’s really sweet. It’s an incredible franchise to be a part of, and it’s one of the most beautiful fandoms that I’ve interacted with.”

How ‘Star Wars’ Helped Henwick Book ‘Game of Thrones’

“She brought me in for every possible role that I could have auditioned for.”

The three Sand Snakes in ‘Game of Thrones’Image via HBO

That wasn’t the only good thing that came from Henwick not securing the role of Rey in The Force Awakens. In addition to having a Star Wars character written for her by Abrams, she also credits her Star Wars audition with paving the way for her to one of the most iconic TV series of all-time, Game of Thrones. “The only reason I auditioned for Game of Thrones was because I auditioned for Star Wars. It was the same casting director, Nina Gold. “ Henwick elaborated:
“So Nina, when I was down to the finals of Star Wars, she took me aside and she said, ‘Why have I never met you?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know. Please cast me in something.’ And when I didn’t get it, she said, ‘Don’t worry. I’m going to bring you in for Game of Thrones.’ And then what proceeded was she brought me in for every possible role that I could have auditioned for, and then I finally got Nymeria. She really was in my corner.”

How an Indie Film Became a Game-Changer for Henwick

“That film does seem to get industry attention … I see it circulating all the time.”

Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick in ‘The Royal Hotel’Image via TIFF

By 2023, Henwick had Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Game of Thrones, The Matrix Resurrections, and Glass Onion on her resume, but she insists that the film that gave her the biggest career boost was actually a lesser-known independently made Australian film called The Royal Hotel. Henwick stars opposite Julia Garner in the film as a pair of American backpackers who take jobs at a remote Australian pub to earn some extra cash. They do what they can to power through days serving some unruly locals, but before long, the situation grows out of control. While pinpointing gigs that felt like they had the “break out” effect, Henwick quickly zeroed in on the 2023 release directed by Kitty Green, who also directed Garner in 2019’s The Assistant.
“Within the industry, with auteurs, The Royal Hotel, a film I did a couple of years ago with Julia Garner, has had more impact than any other film that I’ve done. So many directors now come up to me and go, ‘I watched you in The Royal Hotel.’”
Given The Royal Hotel has a much smaller footprint than something like Game of Thrones, I asked Henwick what she thinks it is about the film that made such a big impression:
“I think that film is really timely, and Kitty is a hot director. People are interested in her work. She has something to say. Julia is so talented. That entire male cast as well, Toby Wallace, James Frecheville, Dan Henshall, you just look at them and you go, ‘These are incredible actors.’ And so that film does seem to get industry attention for whatever reason. I see it circulating all the time.”

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Marvel Also Changed Everything for Henwick — On Screen & Personally

“The doors started opening on films that I would never have been considered for prior to that.”

In addition to The Royal Hotel, Henwick also said playing Colleen Wing in the Marvel Universe changed her life. Henwick first played the character in the 2017 series, Iron Fist, and then reprised the role in The Defenders and Luke Cage. Whereas The Royal Hotel caught the attention of auteur filmmakers, her run as Colleen made an impression on financiers.
“It suddenly propelled me onto financiers’ lists. When things are getting financed, they’ll have an A-list, B-list, and C-list, and this is how much money they can bring into this project, and I suddenly ended up on some of those lists. So, it became easier to get into conversations, and the doors started opening on films that I would never have been considered for prior to that.”
On top of that, playing Colleen Wing also inspired Henwick to rethink her aversion to doing martial arts on screen. She explained:
“It also changed my life in that I had veered away from martial arts. Obviously, I started with a martial arts show, Spirit Warriors, and then I really freaked out because I suddenly felt the pressure of being an Asian actor. I hadn’t really considered that, like the weight of expectation of the community or that I’m somehow meant to represent a community rather than just myself. I’m saying something about Asian people when I’m on screen. And so I actually kind of had a bit of an allergic reaction to it. And I knew going into the Marvel Universe, I was going to have to do a lot of martial arts, and I knew it was going to change everything. After I did that show, for a solid five or six years, all I was offered was just action films because people were like, ‘She does it! She does do it!’”
Yet another thing that changed after becoming a Marvel actor? As one might expect, Henwick started to get recognized. “It changed my life in walking down the street.” She added, “Colleen is the character I played who looks the most like me. So, yeah, I had that experience of sort of public fame.”

Looking for even more from Henwick on the making of Vladimir and her A24 film How to Make a Killing, and also some Silo Season 3 and 4 teases? You can find just that in her full Collider Ladies Night interview in the video at the top of this article!

Release Date

March 5, 2026

Network

Netflix

Writers

Julia May Jonas