Jessica Henwick, an English actress, was born on August 30, 1992. She is known for her portrayal of Jessika Pava in the film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. Furthermore, she is recognized for her roles such as Nymeria Sand in Game of Thrones (where she shares the screen with Star Wars actors Keisha Castle-Hughes, Indira Varma, Stellan Skarsgård, Pedro Pascal, Emilia Clarke, and Alexander Siddig); Colleen Wing in the Netflix series Iron Fist, The Defenders and the second season of Luke Cage, based on the Marvel Comics character; and Bugs in the 2021 film The Matrix Resurrections.
Henwick was among the finalists considered for the part of Rey in The Force Awakens, and she spent six months in auditions. Despite not being selected for that role, director J.J. Abrams still desired her involvement in the movie and created the character Jessika Pava with her in mind. She voiced her desire to reprise the role for the 2019 movie Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, however, her character did not appear in the final cut.