Rey in ‘Star Wars’ Was Almost Asian

Jessica Henwick, who starred in Netflix’s “Iron Fist,” went through a grueling six months of auditioning and almost played Rey in the latest “Star Wars” trilogy.

The 27-year-old “Game of Thrones” alum told reporters that she spent six months auditioning for the role of Rey in “Star Wars” which eventually went to actress Daisy Ridley.

However, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” director J.J. Abrams came up with a role just for Henwick, according to Movie Web.

“I was auditioning for a different character, actually, so I spent six months auditioning for that character. And then, at the end, J.J. said, ‘I want you to be in the film, but I want to write a character for you.’ That’s how Jess Pava was created,” the “Underwater” actress said.

“So, it was a very, very long experience. It’s hard because I’ve been doing this long enough to know that you go in, audition, put it to the back of your mind, don’t think about it and don’t get emotionally invested. But, after six months, you can’t help but just desperately want it.”

Henwick, who is a fan of the director, admitted how difficult it was when those six months of auditioning for the role finally ended.

“I’m also such a big J.J. fan. So, I was a mess at the end of those six months,” she said.

Even though she did not land the role of Rey, Henwick’s character, Jess Pava, still gained her own little fan base after her short appearance in the movie, Cinemablend reported.

Feature Image via @jhenwick

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