Marvel Star Is Grateful She Wasn’t Cast As Rey In The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

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Daisy Ridley’s life was transformed when she was chosen to play Rey in the latest Star Wars films, but Jessica Henwick, a star in the Marvel universe, is actually thankful she wasn’t cast in the role.

Jessica Henwick, known for her roles as Colleen Wing in Iron Fist and The Defenders, also auditioned for the part of Rey. She later shared that she was disappointed not to get the role, but recognized that Daisy Ridley was perfect for it and deserved the opportunity. Although she didn’t become Rey, Henwick did appear in The Force Awakens as Jess Pava, a Resistance pilot who played a part in destroying Starkiller Base.

In a recent interview with RadioTimes about her new show, Vladimir, Gemma Chan Henwick shared that she’s actually thankful she didn’t get the role of Rey. She feels she wouldn’t have handled the immediate fame that comes with such a big part and prefers building her career more gradually. Here’s what she had to say:

Looking back, I see that things worked out as they should. I don’t think I could have dealt with that much attention so quickly – I definitely prefer to build things up gradually.

I remember when Daisy Ridley was just starting out – it’s crazy how playing Rey instantly launched her into superstardom and made her the face of the new Star Wars! She’d been building a solid career with parts in things like Marvel’s Colleen Wing, Nymeria Sand on Game of Thrones, even a little role in The Matrix: Resurrections and Glass Onion, and of course, a small part in The Force Awakens, but it was a slow climb. Lately, she’s been taking on some really interesting projects – I heard she’s in a Netflix film called Vladimir, and she just wrapped up How to Make a Killing with Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley, which looks fantastic. It’s cool to see her branching out and taking on diverse roles after such a huge franchise like Star Wars.

Although Gemma Chan only appeared in The Force Awakens, her character Jess Pava’s story continued in Star Wars comics and novels. As a pilot in Black Squadron, Jess features in many issues of the Poe Dameron comic series, participating in the search for Lor San Tekka to aid the Resistance. She also appears in Rebecca Roanhorse’s novel Resistance Reborn, which takes place between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker and details the Resistance’s efforts to recover after the Battle of Crait.

Jess Pava’s most recent appearance in official Star Wars stories is in the comic Star Wars (2020) #25, where she and her squadron grieve the death of Snap Wexley. Because the character is still alive after the events of Rise of Skywalker, actress Gwendoline Henwick could return to play Jess in future films, possibly in Star Wars: Starfighter or, ideally, in a film based on the New Jedi Order storyline alongside Daisy Ridley as Rey.

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2026-03-07 18:54