The Matrix Resurrections Star Jessica Henwick Said Rian Johnson Was Obligated to Cast Her in Knives Out 2

Jessica Henwick is gearing up to have a big year. The Game of Thrones and Iron Fist alum is currently starring in The Matrix Resurrections, which is the first film of the franchise to be released since 2003. In honor of the movie’s release, Henwick recently had a chat with The Hollywood Reporter where she talked about the new film and more, including the reason why she turned down Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The next big movie to look forward to from Henwick is Knives Out 2. During the chat with THR, she revealed that director Rian Johnson was “obligated” to cast her.

“When I was a teenager, I watched ‘Brick’ in school and I loved it,” Henwick explained. “So I wrote [Rian Johnson] a fan email, and he never responded. Cut to seven years later, I’m in [‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’], and I’m meant to go back to [‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’]. But Rian cuts me out of the project! Cut to this year, I finally got sent this script and I was like, ‘Put me in coach. Give me a Zoom. I don’t care if I get it. I just want to speak to Rian.’ So I revealed all of this to him. I was like, ‘I have a bone to pick with you!’ And of course, he was forced – he was morally obligated – to cast me in ‘Knives Out.’”

In addition to Henwick, Knives Out 2 is set to see the return of Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc as well as a star-studded line-up of new talent. Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Leslie Odom Jr., Madelyne Cline, and Ethan Hawke are all set to be featured in the film, which wrapped production in September. 

“I’m so lucky to have Rian in my life,” Daniel Craig recently shared. “He’s such a great writer. That script arrived and I was literally like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I couldn’t believe that he wanted me to play it. I was going, ‘It says Southern accent you went here. Really?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah?’ We’ve just finished the second one, literally weeks ago. They’ve just wrapped up in Serbia. Dare I say it’s better? We’ll see. I don’t want to tempt fate. It’s different, and that’s the amazing thing. It’s still a Benoit Blanc mystery, but it’s very different. I’m very excited about it.” 

Stay tuned for more updates on Knives Out 2, which does not yet have a release date. In the meantime, you can catch Henwick in The Matrix Resurrections, which is now playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.