Jessica Henwick Turned Down Xialing Role in Shang-Chi in Hopes of Colleen Wing's Return

The long-awaited The Matrix Resurrections was released this week and it features the return of Keanu Reeves (Neo) and Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity) as well as a new cast of characters. One such franchise newcomer is Jessica Henwick who is best known for playing Nymeria Sand on Game of Thrones and Colleen Wing on Iron Fist. Over the last couple of weeks, some stars from Marvel's Netflix series returned in Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home, and it has folks wondering if more Netflix stars will return. While Henwick doesn't have high hopes for a Colleen comeback, she did reveal during a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter that she turned down the role of Xialing in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings because it felt like it would mean the official end of Colleen.

"If I did [Shang-Chi], I would effectively be putting Colleen to bed," Henwick explained when asked why she chose The Matrix over Shang-Chi. "It wasn't the main factor, but it definitely came up in conversation," Henwick added, "I love Colleen. She changed my life. Of course, if I was given the opportunity to revisit her, I would, but I just don't know how likely that is. Charlie [Cox] knew about that opportunity years ago. He already knew it was happening. I think I would have heard by now if there were any plans with Colleen."

During the interview, Henwick also revealed her surprise reaction when she realized how big her role would be in the fourth Matrix. 

"It was crazy! I do remember reading the first page, the second page, the third page, and I was like, 'What the...? This is all me! Where is everyone else?!; It was very surprising. Instead of the blue hair, maybe I should've had the white hair, but maybe that's too obvious. Lana [Wachowski] would probably say that's too obvious," she explained.

The Matrix Resurrections has been met with mixed reviews and currently has a 66% critics score after 224 reviews and a 65% audience score after 1,000+ reviews. ComicBook.com gave the movie a 4 out of 5 and called it "a worthy sequel fueled by nostalgia and romance." In addition to Reeves, Moss, and Henwick, The Matrix Resurrections will feature Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Christina Ricci, Ellen Hollman, Lambert Wilson, and Jada Pinkett Smith. Wachowski returns to direct Resurrections from a script she co-wrote with David Mitchell and Aleksander Hemon.

The Matrix Resurrections is now playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.