‘Iron Fist’: Jessica Henwick On The ‘Hard Decision’ To Join The Show

Iron Fist has been plagued by a lot of controversy for what feels like forever. Most recently, the Marvel Netflix show has received some pretty harsh criticism from the film and it hasn’t helped when the showrunner addressed the whitewashing (or really, the decision to not go with an Asian/Asian American actor in the lead) decisions.

Actress Jessica Henwick, who plays Colleen Wing in Iron Fist, addressed the controversy herself and discussed how choosing to star in the series was difficult.

“It was a hard decision to make to join the show. Not because of the material or anything. But I’m part of the Asian community. I’m Asian. I’m an actor. If anyone understands the conversation, it’s me. I’ve lived and breathed it.”

But the Iron Fist star is sure that the time will come when there will be more Asians and Asian Americans getting more lead roles and coming to the forefront.

“I would love to see an Asian American superhero. And I think it’s going to happen. There’s something about fantasy and sci-fi that seems more welcoming of different ethnicities. It means that I’ve been presented with a lot of really cool opportunities.”

So what drew Henwick to the role of Colleen Wing in Iron Fist?

“When I came on to Iron Fist, it was really Colleen Wing that sold it for me. I thought it was a good opportunity to see a really strong female Asian American. he’s not a superhero; she’s just an ordinary person who has the guts to fight people with superpowers. Which I think is amazing!”

Iron Fist is currently streaming on Netflix.

Source: EW