rose henningsen

Background

Rose Henningsen never considered her childhood to be “normal”. The only child of a rockstar and his then model/actress wife (who weren’t exactly known for their humility), Rose remembers her early years in extravagant (or as some would call it, slightly tacky) terms - her mother dedicating an entire bedroom to her shoe collection, her father walking around the house in snakeskin boots and leopard-print coats, strumming his guitar, throwing industry parties, and blasting music until all hours of the night. Being the soft-spoken daughter of two seemingly outrageous parents, she didn’t always feel like she quite belonged. There seemed to be some kind of role reversal at work, and there were more than a few times she wondered if maybe she’d wished herself into some kind of Freaky Friday-esque situation.

Things changed slightly slightly before Rose’s eighth birthday, when her parents sat her down and told her they would be divorcing. She distinctly remembers being somewhat relieved, hoping that maybe her parents' separation could lead to some sort of “normal” existence. Of course, that was never in the cards, and even when she and her mother moved to Los Angeles, her father’s presence was replaced by her mother’s boyfriend du jour. As her mother aged out of Hollywood’s "ideal" woman, she started participating in any reality show that would have her - which led to more than a few humiliating moments for Rose. More than anything, she wished she could just have a “normal” mom - someone who would have been baking cookies, coming to PTA meetings, maybe bringing oranges to soccer practice.

Meanwhile, her father became less and less of a presence in her life - he was on tour, then he was remarried and having more kids, creating what Rose assumed was a perfect family - far away from her. And though she never resented her half-siblings (none of her father’s decisions was their fault, after all), she couldn’t help but feel jealous, and longed to have some sort of stability. Her form of rebelling as a teenager was to join the debate team, or stay in studying instead of accompanying her mother to a movie premiere. For the longest time, Rose avoided the spotlight, seeking a life drastically different from her parents’.

Rose even moved east for college, attending New York University and studying psychology in pursuit of a career as a mental health counselor. However, during her sophomore year, her best friend urged her to get involved with the school’s drama community - one play later, and Rose was bit by the theater bug. Despite a lifetime of avoidance, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in theater, and dropped out after her junior year.

Initially, Rose went by her mother’s surname (Grant) and refused to use any of her parents’ industry connections. However, at her agent’s insistence, she finally switched to her famous last name - a choice that she still questions and is slightly ashamed of.

Still, she couldn’t argue that doors finally began to open for her - not many, but some. Naturally, this led to many people assuming that she was just another classic case of nepotism - something that Rose still worries about. Despite her attempts to control her public image to almost an obsessive degree, Rose has struggled with the reality that some people will continue to question her validity in the industry. Her recent engagement to the man who directed her in “Jurassic World” has only fueled these accusations further - and has only frustrated Rose even more.

Despite her sometimes obsessive need to prove herself, Rose has a good heart, and in many ways, is still the same curious little girl who just wanted to find something concrete to hold on to.

Lately, it seems as if her career has finally begun to pick up - after a role in the Netflix series, Sense 8, and some promising film roles, she’s eager and excited to continue proving herself - no matter how long that may take.