Jessica Henwick

Jessica Henwick

Jessica Henwick in Spirit Warriors
Born August 30, 1992 (1992-08-30) (age 19)
Surrey, England, UK
Occupation actress
Years active 2010—
Website
http://www.jessicahenwick.com

Jessica Yu Li Henwick (born 30 August 1992) is a British-born Eurasian actress. Her debut role was in the 2010 CBBC television programme Spirit Warriors, as the lead character Bo.[1][2] She is the first East Asian actress to play the lead role in a BBC series.

Contents

Early life

Jessica Henwick studied at Collingwood College, Surrey from the age of 11 to 16, where she took lessons in acting, singing and dancing from the age of 12, as well as taking part in LAMDA Examinations.[3] She went on to train at Redroofs Theatre School[4] and the prestigious National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. During her training, Henwick took part in several plays and musicals.[5] She also secured some minor television appearances[6] and modelling campaigns.[7]

Career

After several months of auditioning by the BBC for the show Spirit Warriors, it was announced in June 2009 that Henwick had been cast in the lead role of Bo.[8] For the role, Henwick trained in wushu with martial arts choreographer Jude Poyer. She also had to cut her long hair into a short bob, to make her seem more masculine.[9] The show was nominated for several awards, including the Broadcast Awards 2011,[10] and Henwick was shortlisted for the Best Lead at the Children's BAFTA 2011.[5]

Following Spirit Warriors, Henwick starred in the short film Plastic opposite Dexter Fletcher,[11] which was submitted to the 2010 BFI Future Film Festival. She also appeared in several other projects due to be released in 2011.[5]

In the autumn of 2011, Henwick recorded the role of Helen for the second season of the BBC radio play North by Northamptonshire, starring Geoffrey Palmer, Sheila Hancock and Mackenzie Crook, to be broadcast from 2011 to 2012.[12]

Filmography

Film & Television
Year Title Role Notes
2010 My Life as a Popat Student
2010 St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold
2010 Spirit Warriors Bo Series Lead
2010 Ladies Night Marcy
2011 Plastic Ellie Short film opposite Dexter Fletcher
2011 Dr Liebenstein Rachel
2011 Glendragon Jackie
2011 North by Northamptonshire Helen Season 2, BBC Radio Four

Theatre

Theatre Credits
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Towards the Unknown Region Soprano Performed at the Royal Albert Hall.
2009 The Roses of Eyam Emmott Produced by Redroofs Theatre School.
2010 The Crucible Betty Produced by Redroofs Theatre School.
2011 Dim Sum Nights - The Clean Up Lead Produced by Yellow Earth Theatre and Tara Arts in London.

References

  1. ^ Spirit Warriors at the Internet Movie Database
  2. ^ Jessica Yu Li Henwick at VisibleChinese.com
  3. ^ http://straightfromschool.org/media/actor-interviews/jessica-henwick-interview/
  4. ^ Redroofs Spirit Warrior, Redroofs News, 1 Oct 2009. Retrieved 11 Apr 2010
  5. ^ a b c CV at jessicahenwick.com
  6. ^ Jessica Henwick at the Internet Movie Database
  7. ^ Press release, 6 February 2009 for Rubik's 360 puzzle
  8. ^ "Bo and the Spirit World casting news". ScreenTerrier. 3 June 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-12-01. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscreenterrier.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fbo-and-spirit-world-casting-news.html&date=2010-12-01. Retrieved 2010-12-01. 
  9. ^ Spirit Warriors: cast interviews, BBC, 21 Dec 2009
  10. ^ Broadcast Awards 2011: shortlist announced, 30 November 2010
  11. ^ Plastic scene on YouTube
  12. ^ LAMDA Examinations and Beyond, Voiceover issue 15, page 10. LAMDA, October 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2011.

External links