1 of 5 | Jessica Henwick stars as Peg in "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery." She's in two of the most-viewed films in Netflix history. Photo courtesy of John Wilson/Netflix
Jan. 6 (UPI) -- British actress Jessica Henwick is building a career through a judicious choice of roles. The 30-year-old actress has shown chameleon-like qualities in her work so far, playing a variety of memorable characters in multiple film and TV genres.
This helped her land on Variety's 2017 list of 'Fresh Faces.'" Now appearing as Peg in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Henwick can boast of starring in two of Netflix's most-viewed films ever, along with The Gray Man.
In Knives Out, Peg is the assistant to Kate Hudson's character Birdie. Henwick says she drew on her own challenging experience as a production assistant for the role. Unlike her character, she quit after spending an entire night manually blowing up balloons for a wedding scene.
"I tried to capture that feeling that I had that day," she told EW."That's how Peg feels every single day. Just right on the verge of quitting. 'Why am I doing this?' But also she just can't get out of it, because she loves and is reliant on Birdie."
Henwick is set to star next with Hugo Weaving in The Royal Hotel, described as a social thriller following two friends backpacking in Australia. Here are five roles she's played beyond Glass Onion.
'Game of Thrones' - - HBO
On the blockbuster HBO series, based on the books by George R.R. Martin, Henwick plays the fierce Nymeria Sand of the Sand Snakes. She's in eight episodes in Seasons 5, 6 and 7 from 2015 to 2017. Her prowess with a bullwhip becomes one of the reasons that the Sand Snakes can support Daenerys Targaryen in her quest to rule the Seven Kingdoms. However, a scheduling conflict with her role in Iron Fist could have led to Henwick quitting Game of Thrones, which would have ended the character's run.
She told EW in 2017 that she at first wasn't sure how she'd be able to do both shows.
"I was filming Iron Fist for six to seven months, and they wouldn't give me the time off. [GoT] was so massive for me in terms of my career and building my profile and as an experience in itself, I wanted to return. [A GoT producer explained], 'It's really important that you come back otherwise your character will just disappear.' So, I spoke to Marvel and I managed to get a release. I literally was flying back and forth while I was doing Iron Fist in New York to Belfast, even during Christmas break."
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' - - Disney+
Though Henwick auditioned for and lost the lead role of Rey in the 2015 Star Wars film, it worked out in the end. (Daisy Ridley ultimately won the role). Director J.J. Abrams wrote the character of Jess Pava, the first female X-Wing pilot, especially for her. "It was an incredible journey, getting to work with JJ, locked in a room together for hours over and over," she told NME in 2020. "I will carry his demeanor with me -- the childlike excitement he has is something that I want to always have, no matter what job I'm doing."
'Iron Fist' - - Disney+
In 2017, Henwick played Colleen Wing in the Marvel series, also appearing in The Defenders and an episode of Luke Cage. Her character is described as "a martial arts expert running her own dojo" who "will serve as an invaluable ally to Danny Rand [played by Finn Jones] as he returns to his life in New York." Henwick told Entertainment Tonight that she'd love to reprise the role in the future. "I love playing Colleen," she said in November. "It was such a pleasure working with Finn [Jones] and Simone [Missick], and I love that character so much. If she came back, I mean, I would say yes. Yeah, I would."
'The Matrix Resurrections' - - HBO, Hulu
In 2021, Henwick continued her run of sci-fi franchises by playing the role of Bugs in the fourth Matrix film, The Matrix Resurrections. She worked with original actors Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss, who reprised their roles in the acclaimed film series, while she and co-star Yahya Abdul-Mateen got acclimated to being the newcomers. "There are definitely moments on set where Yahya and I look at each other and we just go: Matrix 4," Henwick said. "Those pinch-me moments."
'The Gray Man' - - Netflix
The Netflix movie, starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans as dueling spies, is the streamer's most-watched film ever. In it, Henwick plays Jessica Brewer, a CIA agent who's upset that she hasn't advanced enough in the agency hierarchy. "I was just in a place of my life where I was like, I want to play, someone who's [expletive] mad," Henwick told MovieMaker last year. "Because a lot of the time with female roles, you're always playing someone who's nice, or they want you to be likable. They want to make sure that you're not being too harsh, too cold, too stern. And [the directors] were just like, 'No, meaner, meaner, angrier. Embrace it.'"