LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 Just before Jessica Henwick was cast in 鈥淕ame of Thrones鈥 and 鈥淪tar Wars: The Force Awakens,鈥 the then-aspiring actor had already left Los Angeles for her hometown in England.
鈥淚 ran out of money, so I went back and moved back in with my parents,鈥 she recalled.
Although she hadn鈥檛 quite given up on acting, Henwick was struggling to find jobs in front of the camera. Before leaving LA, she did work as a crew member on sets 鈥 an experience she drew from for her role in which debuts Friday on Netflix.
In the whodunit film boasting a star-studded ensemble cast, Henwick plays Peg, the assistant and handler to model and sweatpants line founder Birdie (Kate Hudson). But her experience as a crew member was more than just a source of inspiration for her character 鈥 it was 鈥渉ugely educational鈥 for her as an actor, Henwick said.
鈥淭o be on a set and listen to how the director communicated with the cast and with the crew and how it worked, it was hugely insightful,鈥 she said.
Although her performance as garnered critical praise, she still considers herself a 鈥渏obbing actor.鈥
鈥淚鈥檓 not just getting things handed to me,鈥 she said, though she admits working felt like a turning point in her career as well as a personal triumph.
鈥淚 mean, what an icon. They just don鈥檛 make 'em like that anymore. It鈥檚 kind of sad,鈥 she said.
Reflecting on her experience with Reeves, Henwick lamented the ways in which the Hollywood landscape has shifted.
鈥淗e鈥檚 from an era where it meant something to be a star or an A-lister,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here are so many actors nowadays. I don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 just diluted or maybe we鈥檙e overexposed with social media.鈥
Henwick had always known the chances of her making it in Hollywood were slim, which she says informed her decision to drop out of acting school after being cast as the lead in the BBC series 鈥淪pirit Warriors鈥 in 2009.
鈥淢aybe I got too big for my boots. I don鈥檛 know. I just think that I realized you don鈥檛 have to do that,鈥 she said when asked why she quit. 鈥淚f I had continued going to that school, I would have been in debt.鈥
She said she struggles with the issue of equity in acting given the high cost of training in England.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely predisposed towards people of privilege,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 know that we have some of the best teachers in the world, so I fully support how much schools charge, but it does mean that people from lower income families can鈥檛 afford to go.鈥
Henwick, whose mother is Singaporean Chinese, was also mindful of the limited opportunities for people of color in England, which she said was one of the factors that prompted her initial move to Los Angeles.
鈥淓ngland鈥檚 main export, in terms of entertainment, is period dramas. We do it better than anyone else in the world. Shakespeare, Austen. Even at the time, the biggest show was 鈥楧ownton Abbey,鈥欌 she recalled. 鈥淚 used to want to be in one of those so bad. The costumes, the language. It鈥檚 poetry.鈥
When asked how to address that lack of representation, Henwick praised 鈥淏ridgerton鈥 executive producer Shonda Rhimes for her ability to
Henwick is looking forward to a more rooted and restful 2023 after years of traveling and big projects. But she said, if she has her pick in the future, she hopes to one day.
鈥淚 just want to see the method behind the madness,鈥 she laughed. 鈥淚 also feel like I鈥檓 working my way through '90s action heroes. I鈥檝e worked with Keanu. I鈥檝e work with Edward (Norton). Nicolas Cage, you鈥檙e next.鈥
