Born Name
Jessica Yu Li Henwick
Nick Name
Jessica
Sun Sign
Virgo
Born Place
Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Residence
London, England, United Kingdom
Nationality
Education
Jessica attended the Redroofs Theatre School whose alumni includes Kate Winslet. She was also a member of the National Youth Theatre in Great Britain.
Occupation
Actress
Family
- Father – Mark Henwick (Author of the Bite Back novel series)
- Mother – Pearlyn Goh Kun Shan (Worked in retail)
- Siblings – She has 2 brothers and is the middle child.
Manager
Jessica is managed by the London-based Julian Belfrage Associates.
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 6½ in or 169 cm
Weight
56 kg or 123.5 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Jessica Henwick has dated –
- Johnny Yang – Martial artist and stuntman Johnny Yang and Jessica Henwick are rumored to be in a relationship. According to their Instagram feed in which they are spotted spending time together, they seem like a real couple. However, Jessica has been very discreet about her dating life and there has been no confirmation from Johnny’s side either.
Race / Ethnicity
Multiracial
She has Singaporean and Chinese ancestry on her mother’s side and is of Zambian and English descent on her father’s side.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Light Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
A small black mole on her right cheek above her lips.
Brand Endorsements
Jessica appeared in a commercial for NBC Weather in 2010.
Best Known For
- Being the first actress of East Asian origin to land a leading role in the British children’s series Spirit Warriors in 2010.
- Portraying the role of Nymeria Sand in the fantasy drama series Game of Thrones.
- Her other roles such as X-wing pilot Jessika Pava in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and playing Colleen Wing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Netflix shows like Iron Fist and The Defenders.
First Film
In 2009, she made her theatrical film debut in an uncredited role in St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold.
Her first credited role was in Dr. Liebenstein in March 2015.
First TV Show
Jessica made her TV show debut by appearing on the talk show Breakfast as herself on January 21, 2010.
Personal Trainer
Jessica has played many characters that are well-versed in martial arts and hence, she had to take relevant training for such roles. For her role in Marvel’s Iron Fist, she had to undertake training on a regular basis in Japanese martial arts and learn to wield a katana (Japanese sword).
She also had to perfect her moves in Aikido, Karate, and Krav Maga to come off authentically on screen. She has even shared pictures of her self-inflicted wounds during practice on Instagram.
Jessica Henwick Favorite Things
- Singaporean Food – Singaporean curry crab, kway teow, Hainanese chicken rice, Milo Dinosaur, Bubble tea, Laksa
- Singaporean Actor – Adrian Pang
Source – Straits Times, South China Morning Post, The Star Online
Jessica Henwick Facts
- In order to portray the character of Bo on Spirit Warriors, Jessica trained extensively with martial arts choreographer Jude Poyer in the Chinese martial art form Wushu.
- She appeared as Leo in the theatre production of Julia Donaldson’s book Running on the Cracks. The production was performed at the Pilot Theatre and the York Theatre Royal in 2013 with Jessica impressing critics with her understated and nuanced performance.
- In 2014, she was a part of another book adaptation, this time a drama series titled Obsession: Dark Desires. Henwick played Jane Jeong Trenka in the series which detailed Jane’s stalking ordeal in Minnesota in 1991.
- Henwick was a cast member of Game of Thrones from season 5 to season 7. She had to train for 6 months to learn how to use a traditional bullwhip as a part of her job on the show.
- The character of Jessika Pava has become a fan favorite and has also made an appearance in the comic book series Star Wars: Poe Dameron as a supporting character.
- In 2017, Jessica joined the cast of the sci-fi psychological thriller series Fortitude in the 2nd season as Bianca Mankyo.
- Jessica learned piano as a kid and even played it competitively as a child.
- Jessica has a fan-created page dedicated to her on Facebook titled “Jessica Henwick Appreciation Society”.
- She reunited with her Silk co-stars Natalie Dormer and Indira Varma on Game of Thrones as the two women have played Margaery Tyrell and Ellaria Sand respectively.
- The lead character of Spirit Warriors was meant to be a boy for which they had a casting call. Henwick’s mom had signed up her brother but he was not interested in acting and so Jessica, who was studying acting at the time, auditioned instead and the character was re-written for her.
- Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Featured Image by Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0