Jessica Henwick Explains Why She Almost Quit Acting Before The Matrix Resurrections [Exclusive]
Warner Bros. By Sandy Schaefer/Dec. 23, 2021 4:31 pm EST
Jessica Henwick is no stranger to big franchises, having played the “Sand Snake” Nymeria Sand on “Game of Thrones,” martial artist Colleen Wing on Marvel and Netflix’s “Iron Fist,” and Resistance fighter pilot Jess Testor in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Henwick can now be seen co-starring in “The Matrix Resurrections,” a continuation of the mind-bending sci-fi film series. Henwick plays Bugs, a blue-haired hacker who plays a key role in the movie’s story. However, before she decided to take the red pill and see how deep the rabbit hole goes, Henwick came close to giving up acting entirely.
In an interview with /Film’s Jack Giroux, Henwick talked about how she found her way into the “Resurrections” cast and the headspace she was in at the time:
“It was my agent. I was in a weird space and I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. I think I was going through a quarter life crisis, and basically I’ve been acting for 14 years now and I just took a second to think, ‘Am I doing this because I still want to do it and I love it, or am I doing this because it’s what I’m used to?’ And so, I stopped and I decided to get out of town and I bought a one-way ticket to France. And then, I just started walking. “I just started hiking and I was halfway through a 40-day hike. I turned on my phone, it was near my birthday and I wanted to tell everyone I was alive, and I got an email saying, ‘Would you like to audition for the Matrix?’ And I just said no, because I hadn’t finished the hike and I hadn’t come to an answer yet of what I wanted to do in my life. I turned it down.”
Jessica Henwick Explains Why She Almost Quit Acting Before The Matrix Resurrections [Exclusive]
Warner Bros.
By Sandy Schaefer/Dec. 23, 2021 4:31 pm EST
Jessica Henwick is no stranger to big franchises, having played the “Sand Snake” Nymeria Sand on “Game of Thrones,” martial artist Colleen Wing on Marvel and Netflix’s “Iron Fist,” and Resistance fighter pilot Jess Testor in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Henwick can now be seen co-starring in “The Matrix Resurrections,” a continuation of the mind-bending sci-fi film series. Henwick plays Bugs, a blue-haired hacker who plays a key role in the movie’s story. However, before she decided to take the red pill and see how deep the rabbit hole goes, Henwick came close to giving up acting entirely.
In an interview with /Film’s Jack Giroux, Henwick talked about how she found her way into the “Resurrections” cast and the headspace she was in at the time:
“It was my agent. I was in a weird space and I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. I think I was going through a quarter life crisis, and basically I’ve been acting for 14 years now and I just took a second to think, ‘Am I doing this because I still want to do it and I love it, or am I doing this because it’s what I’m used to?’ And so, I stopped and I decided to get out of town and I bought a one-way ticket to France. And then, I just started walking. “I just started hiking and I was halfway through a 40-day hike. I turned on my phone, it was near my birthday and I wanted to tell everyone I was alive, and I got an email saying, ‘Would you like to audition for the Matrix?’ And I just said no, because I hadn’t finished the hike and I hadn’t come to an answer yet of what I wanted to do in my life. I turned it down.”
In an interview with /Film’s Jack Giroux, Henwick talked about how she found her way into the “Resurrections” cast and the headspace she was in at the time:
“It was my agent. I was in a weird space and I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. I think I was going through a quarter life crisis, and basically I’ve been acting for 14 years now and I just took a second to think, ‘Am I doing this because I still want to do it and I love it, or am I doing this because it’s what I’m used to?’ And so, I stopped and I decided to get out of town and I bought a one-way ticket to France. And then, I just started walking.
“I just started hiking and I was halfway through a 40-day hike. I turned on my phone, it was near my birthday and I wanted to tell everyone I was alive, and I got an email saying, ‘Would you like to audition for the Matrix?’ And I just said no, because I hadn’t finished the hike and I hadn’t come to an answer yet of what I wanted to do in my life. I turned it down.”
“That Thing Was Such a Journey Emotionally.”
When asked if playing Bugs left her feeling “rejuvenated” about acting, Henwick clarified:
“I made a self tape, flew to America a couple days later, tested with Yahya [Abdul-Mateen II, who plays Morpheus in the film], and had the phone call from Lana a few days after that.”
“No, I mean, it’s a long — that thing was such a journey emotionally. It was a part of it, but I think I came to that decision without the script. And then it was just nice that this was the first thing that appeared to me after.”
“The Matrix Resurrections” is now playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
