Jessica Henwick Is Shaking Up Hollywood and The Red Carpet
You can’t put Jessica Henwick in a box. The 29-year-old performer acts, directs, writes, and is at the start of an exceptionally busy year. Currently saving Keanu Reeves from the simulation of The Matrix as Bugs in the franchise’s latest installment, Henwick is also streaming into living rooms in the sci-fi anime Blade Runner: Black Lotus. Then she’s jumping back to the big screen for the spy thriller The Gray Man opposite Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling. After that, she’s off to Greece to go toe-to-toe with the super rich in the follow-up to Knives Out. “This year has been a whirlwind,” she shared on the phone from Los Angeles. “I don’t think I’ll be able to fully grasp the magnitude until it’s over and I’m back home.”
Home in Surrey, England, is where Henwick’s appreciation for storytelling first began. Her father, Mark, is a successful science fiction novelist, while grandmother authored several unpublished books. Thanks to their influence, she was drawn towards creative pursuits early, and by the age of 12, she was performing with local drama groups and penning her own stories. Bringing characters to life proved thrilling. “Acting is such a beautiful form of escapism, and once I started classes, I fell in love with it,” says Henwick. “It’s a difficult feeling to describe, [but] I always knew that I was meant to tell stories in some form; it’s in my blood.”
Henwick disappears into her characters, so much so that many will be surprised to discover that the sapphire-haired cyberpunk from The Matrix and Game of Thrones’ whip-wielding Nymeria Sand are the same person. Still, there’s a strength that unites the people she portrays. Even when they seem dangerous at the outset, Henwick’s women are capable, intelligent, and not to be underestimated. Conveying that takes preparation. “It never comes easy; there’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears when you’re preparing for the action and stunts,” says Henwick. “You work night and day, and the process is all-consuming. Your entire life becomes training and trying to put on muscle, but it’s [also] a psychological thing.”
Even before she mastered the stunts, Henwick understood that reviving a beloved franchise after 20 years would be a challenge. “Even if you haven’t seen the film you know about The Matrix, it’s impossible to avoid the impact of the original,” says Henwick. “I loved the films growing up, but when I was approached [about the part], I said no because I didn’t feel I was in the right frame of mind." At the time Henwick was busy figuring out her future during a 40-day hike through France where she took stock of her life. “I just wanted to have a pure experience,” she says. "Thankfully by the time I finished they hadn’t cast everything yet!”
To embody Bugs, Henwick had to dig deep. An idealistic freedom fighter, she serves as a guide to the upgraded version of the simulation taking Neo—and the audience—into a dystopian future. Bugs is a welcome addition to the franchise’s lineup of iconic characters. “[Bugs] is someone who reached a position of power at a young age so she has that bravado,” says Henwick. “I liked that she’s confident in her knowledge and knows she has the skills to back up her position. Playing a new character does take a bit of the pressure off as people don’t come in with expectations about my performance, and I have the freedom to do what I like with it.”
That included a full-scale makeover that saw her ditch her long dark locks for a stylized blue undercut. “The original plan was to shave my head entirely,” says Henwick. “But within the world of The Matrix, that has its own connotations. Lana came up with the idea that only half of my head would be shaved, and the other half would be this very specific bright blue. Carrie-Anne [Moss] and I had to go through these haircuts, and it was quite emotional because she hadn’t seen herself in the Trinity hair for so long. For me, it was a bit of a relief. I’d just gone through a huge overhaul in my [personal] life, and the hair had started to feel like baggage.”
The beauty transformation meshed with the outré look of the film and prompted changes within Henwick’s personal wardrobe. “Normally, I seek comfort and warmth, big cable-knit sweaters, turtlenecks, huge chunky leather boots. In the winter, I can dress like a fisherman,” Henwick says. “When I had long hair, I leaned towards baggy clothes and dressing masculine, but once I’d gotten my haircut, I wanted to wear feminine styles. I love great tailoring, pieces with sharp, clean lines that were made to last.”