Jessica Henwick on 'Love and Monsters,' 'The Matrix 4' and Pitching "Jess Wick" to Keanu Reeves - Hollywood Reporter

Henwick — who’s currently shooting the highly anticipated The Matrix 4 in Berlin — first returns to the screen alongside Dylan O’Brien in Paramount’s Love and Monsters, which premieres Oct.

Love and Monsters, which was shot on Australia's Gold Coast, was a surprisingly challenging film for Henwick since she had to unlearn years’ worth of martial arts and weapons training that she acquired on Game of Thrones, Iron Fist and The Defenders.

“Aimee wasn’t meant to know how to fight… so I had to try and act like I didn’t really know how to do martial arts.

So when we would do the choreo, we’d be like, ‘She just looks too good.

While Henwick can’t share any plot or character details regarding The Matrix 4, she’s definitely making the most of the opportunity by pitching John Wick 4 ideas to John Wick himself, Keanu Reeves.

Given her background in martial arts and katana wielding, Henwick would fit right in on the John Wick set.

In fact, when she played martial arts expert Colleen Wing in Netflix’s Marvel universe, she not only shot fight scenes at the same locations as John Wick, but she also hung out with the Wick crew at a time when they were both shooting.

John Wick 4, last 5 minutes, credits roll, post-credit sequence.

We put on this little ten-minute show of what Jess Wick and John Wick would be like.

Chad Stahelski, the director of all the John Wick movies, is flying out in two weeks, I think.

(Laughs.) Gosh, I wish I was good enough to release a piano album.

(Laughs.) Okay, I’ll try and get an album together.

I’m like, “I’m not a good stunt person.

I’m just a good mimic.” So yeah, I’m curious what will be next.

(Laughs.) So I’ve got a pretty wide variety right now, but I’d love to learn horse riding and maybe do a Western!

So we briefly discussed Love and Monsters in your last interview, mainly the oysters that you guys were eating every day?

(Laughs.).

So let’s pretend that the premise of Love and Monsters actually happened in real life, and we had to retreat to these underground colonies to avoid being eaten by monsters?

(Laughs.) Yeah, I just question the motivations.

(Laughs.) No, actually… Jessica is just such a common name, and there are times when I wish I had a more unusual name.

And yeah, some of my jokes that I thought Janice should say ended up in the film.

With something like Love and Monsters where you’re establishing the romantic relationship, it did seem really important that I was there for that.

[The following question contains spoilers for Love and Monsters.].

Yeah, 100 percent.

If I played that she’s flirting with him too much or that she’s asking him in any way to come, then it’d be goofy when he does come and she’s like, “Oh, I didn’t know you were going to do it.” That’s so mean?

Yes, there’s some excitement there, in those radio calls, but it really is just wanting a confidant.

[End of spoiler section for Love and Monsters.].

It was very smooth and it had a nice weight in your hand, if you know what I mean!

(Laughs.) You know what.

It was surprisingly challenging doing the action scenes in this film because I had to pretend to be someone who didn’t know how to fight?

In the Marvel shows and Game of Thrones, those characters are meant to know how to fight, but Aimee wasn’t meant to know how to fight.

She’s meant to know how to hunt to a very limited extent, so I had to try and act like I didn’t really know how to do martial arts.

After three years on Marvel shows, that was really a challenge.

(Laughs.).

Yeah, I had to look like I had two left feet?

So when we would do the choreo, we’d be like, “She just looks too good.

How do we make this look more inept?” (Laughs.) So I was just trying to swing the door out of control and use it more as a battering ram.

(Laughs.) Oh, it was such a dream.

It was a weird time of my life where I don’t really remember what it was like to film that.

(Laughs.) I think Kristen (Stewart) would probably say that it was so traumatizing that we all just blanked it out.

(Laughs.) But yeah, I suppose it was my first real chance to work with the beloved castmate Green Tennis Ball On A Stick.

But yeah, that never really gets easier.

But it was just nice to be like, “Oh, there’s a huge, wet, slimy, smelly thing on the table that we can all interact with.”.

(Laughs.) Well, it didn’t help that half the cast had a phobia of large open spaces of water?

(Laughs.)?

If oysters defined the Love and Monsters shoot, what’s the go-to cuisine on The Matrix 4 so far.

Yeah, I’m really not sure how we could make it any safer.

Short of us literally sleeping, eating and just living on the sets, I’m not sure how we could make it any safer?

(Laughs.).

I really didn’t want to go, “Oh, I expect it to seem like what the picture is in my mind of how the original was,” because so much time has passed.

Has your alter ego “Jess Wick” had any showdowns with John Wick off-set.

(Laughs.) So I pitch Jess Wick to Keanu all the time.

John Wick 4, last 5 minutes, credits roll, post-credit sequence.

You see my face, Jess Wick.” (Laughs.) I just started acting it out and then he started acting it out, too.

We put on this little ten-minute show of what Jess Wick and John Wick would be like.

Chad Stahelski, the director of all the John Wick movies, is flying out in two weeks, I think.

(Laughs.).

(Laughs.) What do I have to lose?

You’ve even shot at the same New York locations as John Wick, such as Colleen’s big fight at Bethesda Terrace in Central Park.

(Laughs.) I know.

Half of our stunt team on Iron Fist season one worked on the John Wick films?

So when I went back to New York, I hung out with the John Wick crew and had a great night.

So I don’t know if I can say it, but I’m the lead in that and I’m excited for that to come out

(Laughs.) So I’m doing that and a couple of other voice gigs, but that’s the one that I’m really the most excited about

It was a really, really touching scene, actually

(Laughs.) Yeah, that’s true

I didn’t even think about that

I love creating these crazy female characters that I don’t feel we get to see enough of, and yeah, I’m excited to share it with the world

We’re still tinkering with the series arc, but I would love to, yeah

Among my former casts, honestly, it’s probably a tie between Iron Fist season two, and Love and Monsters

(Laughs.) I suppose when you mention it, there’s something similar about their voice, but I didn’t notice it until you pointed it out

(Laughs.) You’re hilarious

Love and Monsters is available on PVOD and Digital on Oct