Jessica Henwick has ticked off many major franchises in her career so far. She got her big break in Game of Thrones, followed that up with a leading role in Marvel’s Iron Fist and is about to star in The Matrix 4. What you might not know, though, is that the actress has also appeared in a galaxy far, far away. Henwick played Jess Pava, a Resistance pilot who helps take down Starkiller Base, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Henwick hasn’t returned to the saga since then though, so it’s unclear what happened to her character. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, however, the star confirmed that Pava is still alive and survived the climactic events of The Rise of Skywalker . For proof that there’s still life in Jess, Henwick pointed to the character’s off-screen adventures in the Star Wars comics – particularly, the Poe Dameron series.
“Yes! Jess Pava is alive and well. You can read up on all her adventures in new spinoff comic books. So, don’t worry, she’s doing great. She’s living her best life.”
The same interview reveals the bombshell that Henwick was in the running to play Rey in TFA, as well. She auditioned for the leading role for a full six months before Daisy Ridley ultimately won out. Henwick admits to THR that she was a “mess” at the end of the process, after fighting so “desperately” to get the gig. Still, there was a silver lining at least, as J.J. Abrams was such a fan of hers that he created the small part of Pava specifically for the actress.
It all worked out in the end, then. Ridley was undoubtedly the best fit for Rey and Henwick’s career has gone from strength to strength ever since. As mentioned above, she’s now set to be one of the leads of The Matrix 4 alongside Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss. But hey, we certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Jess Pava turn up again in some future Star Wars project. Disney Plus, anyone?