IRON FIST Star Jessica Henwick Was Almost Cast as Rey in STAR WARS
Lucasfilm and J.J. Abrams auditioned hundreds of actresses for the role of Rey in the final three chapters of the Skywalker saga. While Daisy Ridley was ultimately cast in the role, there was one other actress who came incredibly close to landing it. That actress is Iron Fist and Underwater star Jessica Henwick.
During a recent interview with THR, the actress shared her experience of almost landing the role after a rigorous six-month-long casting process. She obviously didn’t get the part, but she did get a small role in the franchise. She explained:
"At the end, J.J. said, ‘I want you to be in the film, but I want to write a character for you.’ That’s how Jess Pava was created. So, it was a very, very long experience. It’s hard because I’ve been doing this long enough to know that you go in, audition, put it to the back of your mind, don’t think about it and don’t get emotionally invested. But, after six months, you can’t help but just desperately want it. I’m also such a big J.J. fan. So, I was a mess at the end of those six months."
I thought Ridley did a fine job in the role of Rey, but after hearing this news, I would have loved to see Henwick in the role. At least, in the end, she ended up playing a badass character in Iron Fist. Henwick was awesome in that series and the best part of it. It’s a character that she loved playing and wishes she could have continued the journey of her character. She went on to say:
"I definitely would’ve loved to have done more Daughters of the Dragon-type stuff with Simone (Missick). We had so many great ideas, and Simone and I have a really wonderful chemistry in real life. So, that’s something that I would’ve loved to have visited, but for the most part, Colleen had a great journey. It was this real zero-to-hero type moment for her at the end of season two. So, yeah, I feel happy."
I would love it if Marvel Studios brought the character back for some more action in a new project, but there’s a good chance that won’t happen. Anyway, would you have liked to see Henwick in the role of Rey?