Jessica Henwick Says Losing Rey Was “For the Best” — And Explains Why She Wouldn’t Have Survived the Instant Fame

Jessica Henwick has opened up again about one of Star Wars’ biggest “almost” casting stories: her audition for Rey in The Force Awakens.

In a new interview tied to her upcoming projects (Vladimir and How to Make a Killing), Henwick reflects on the experience with a lot more calm than she had at the time — and says she now believes not landing the role was ultimately the right outcome for her.

“I much prefer the slow burn”

Henwick confirms she auditioned for Rey before the role went to Daisy Ridley, and admits it hit hard in the moment — but says the hindsight is very different.

She explains that she doesn’t think she’s the kind of person who could have handled “that level of exposure that fast,” adding that she prefers building a career more gradually.

For Star Wars fans, it’s a fascinating “alternate timeline” moment — especially because Henwick did still end up inside the franchise, appearing in The Force Awakens as Resistance pilot Jess Pava.

The Game of Thrones lesson that changed her perspective

One of the most Star Wars-relevant parts of the interview isn’t actually about Star Wars — it’s about what Henwick learned watching fame happen up close on Game of Thrones.

She calls it the “best of both worlds” for her personally: she got to be part of the biggest show on the planet without carrying the full weight of being the face of it. She also describes seeing the pressure on the main cast firsthand and says she doesn’t envy it.

That experience clearly shaped how she later viewed the Rey audition: instant global visibility sounds exciting on paper, but Henwick frames it as something that can be genuinely crushing if it hits too early.

Public scrutiny, identity pressure, and why she avoided “stereotypical” roles

Henwick also talks about feeling the weight of representation early in her career after becoming the first actress of East Asian descent to lead a British TV series (Spirit Warriors). She says the public scrutiny and the feeling of carrying other people’s expectations made her uncomfortable — to the point where she intentionally stayed away from roles she feared could be seen as stereotypical, including action parts for a period.

It’s an interesting footnote for Star Wars casting conversations, because Rey would have been the opposite of “slow burn”: a lead role in a franchise with global fan scrutiny from day one.

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