‘The Matrix Resurrections’ star turned down ‘Shang-Chi’ to take the red pill

It must be a nice position to find yourself in as an up-and-coming talent in the industry, having the opportunity to audition for a pair of high-profile blockbusters that each boast a massive fanbase and multi-billion dollar box office totals.

Unfortunately, you don’t always get the opportunity to have your cake and eat it too, but Jessica Henwick seems confident she made the right call after revealing that she’d turned down the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in favor of The Matrix Resurrections.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the fast-rising star admitted that once she’d weighed up her options, the lure of working with director Lana Wachowski and star Keanu Reeves on the mind-bending cyberpunk sci-fi actioner was simply too much to resist.

Of course, Henwick already has previous with Marvel after appearing as Colleen Wing in Iron Fist, The Defenders and Luke Cage, which may have influenced her decision to knock back Shang-Chi. Henwick admitted she was given an ultimatum after Disney and Warner Bros. learned of the respective interest on opposing sides of the Hollywood divide, which she described as her “red pill/blue pill” moment. We’re only three weeks out from The Matrix Resurrections, so we don’t have long to wait until we discover if she made the right call.