Vladimir's Jessica Henwick on public scrutiny, Star Wars and staying away from "stereotypical" roles

When Jessica Henwick made her on-screen debut as Bo in the 2010 CBBC children’s adventure series, Spirit Warriors, she was instantly thrust into the spotlight. Unbeknown to her at the time, Henwick made history as the first actress of East Asian descent to lead a British TV series.

“I had no idea at the time of filming [of the significance of this role.] It was only during the post-production experience and meeting members of the British East and Southeast Asian community that they impressed upon me how momentous this was within our community,” said Henwick.

She added: “It was scary because all of a sudden, I felt a pressure to live up to that. I got a small taste of what that experience is like, having public scrutiny and the weight of other people’s hopes and dreams. I really didn’t like it and that was on a really small scale.”

Feeling that weight of responsibility at such a young age was a scary and, in many ways, an unwanted experience for the actress. Therefore, she made a conscious effort to distance herself from this and take a more considered career path.

“After that, I was so freaked out by [the experience] that I was somehow supposed to speak to an entire ethnic group that I stayed away from playing Asian characters for quite a while. I stayed away from anything that might be deemed stereotypical. For example, I refused to do anything action,” said Henwick.

It wasn’t until Marvel reached out to Henwick to play the role of martial arts expert Colleen Wing in Iron Fist that she reconsidered her entire opinion of the roles she wanted to play and the stories she wanted to tell.

However, despite the inevitable career opportunities that the exposure this would bring, Henwick still had brief hesitations about whether she should take the role.

“There was a little bit of, “Do I really want to play this martial artist?” It lasted about half a second. I loved Colleen so much and still love her to this day. I think she is one of the most empowering characters that I’ve ever played.”

Iron Fist received backlash for the lack of Asian representation in the show. This caused issues at times behind-the-scenes as the series wasn’t able to capture authentic stories that somewhat mirrored the Asian-American experience.

“I felt an onus as the Asian actor on the show to make sure we were getting it right. That’s obviously a group discussion across multiple departments and everyone needs to be on the same page. You win some battles and you lose some battles,” said Henwick. “The industry was a different place then. I think if I were in that position now, the level of cultural awareness has increased. There would be a little more give to make sure. It shouldn’t be on my head, I’m just the actor.”

The intentionality that Henwick had in selecting her next acting role has led to a versatile filmography across a range of genres. The actress has become a regular feature in box office movies such as Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Matrix Resurrections and The Gray Man.

Henwick will next be seen Netflix's Vladimir, as well as A24’s black comedy, How to Make a Killing, which hits cinemas on Friday 13 March. After reading the script for the film, Henwick was instantly drawn to the character of Ruth and the wider themes of hustle culture that run throughout the movie.

However, even a year after filming had commenced, Henwick feels more connected to Ruth now more than ever as it struck something in her subconscious when she found herself asking the big questions, such as, “What parts of life make me happy?” and “Where do I want to be in ten years?”

Henwick said: “I was attracted to one line that Ruth has, 'No one teaches us how to dream small.’ I feel that speaks to a movement happening in the world right now. People are burning out and the limitations of hustle culture are rearing their heads. Why are we doing this? Is that making us happy? I think that’s why there has been this push online for slow-living. My algorithm is all about slow-living, primitive technology and going analogue in any way that you can.”

The actress was unsure whether these questions were entering her subconscious because she was inhibiting the mindset of her character or whether those emotions were just rearing their head for her personally.

Interestingly, the same experience occurred during the filming of Vladimir, the upcoming Netflix comedy-drama fronted by Rachel Weisz and Leo Woodall.

The series centres around a middle-aged professor (Weisz) and her all-consuming obsession with her younger colleague, Vladimir (Woodall). Henwick stars as Cynthia, the enigmatic spouse of the titular protagonist, whose life starts to unravel after joining a small liberal arts college where Weisz's professor becomes fixated.

“[My character,] Cynthia, is holding on by the skin of her teeth and going on day-by-day. I just felt like that in my personal life making this show,” said Henwick. “Any sense of the grander scheme was gone and it was just about how I can get through day-to-day and just be okay. It was a long time to be far from home, let's just say that.”

Early in her career, Henwick also cut her teeth in TV series such as Game of Thrones as Nymeria Sand from season five onwards. This experience on one of the biggest TV shows of all time provided an invaluable insight into the industry and the role she wanted to play within it.

“Game of Thrones was the best of both worlds. It was the biggest show on the planet but I didn’t play the biggest role. I got to taste that huge expectation but I didn’t feel crushed under it,” said Henwick. “I got to see up close the ramifications of fame on the cast and the pressure that they were under. I don’t envy them at all and I couldn’t imagine doing it. Some of them were kids when that show started and I couldn’t imagine that experience.”

Having seen the pressures that the main cast faced first-hand, Henwick describes the success that young actors experienced on Game of Thrones as a “blessing and a curse".

She added: “What an incredible experience to go straight to some of the best television ever made and work with some of the best creators around with that budget. What an incredible learning experience but wow, does it fuck you up when you leave. The pressure to recreate that and repeat that, the therapy that you will need to go to realise that was probably the peak and won’t be able to surpass that.”

Henwick remarked that early in her career, she almost got roles that would have changed the course of her career. She had auditioned for the lead role of Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens before it went to Daisy Ridley. Despite the disappointment and anger at the time, she looks back on this with gratitude.

“I look back now and realise it was for the best. I don’t think I am the type of person who would be able to handle that level of exposure that fast. I much prefer the slow burn.”

Vladimir will be released on Netflix on 5 March 2026. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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