Shadow and Bone: Jessie Mei Li talks bringing Alina Starkov to life

There are quite a few breakout stars featured in Netflix’s Shadow and Bone, but it’s Jessie Mei Li who has the responsibility of bringing to life leading lady Alina Starkov. Li was practically made for the role, and their understanding of the character is evident both onscreen and off.

Speaking with ELLE, the 25-year-old discussed some of the highlights of playing the Sun Summoner during the first season of the show. In particular, Li pointed to Alina’s inner strength, which is apparent even during her early scenes at the orphanage, but becomes a force unto itself as the series continues:

"When we meet Alina as a child, played by Kaylan [Teague], she’s strong then, she has the power. She stands up for Mal, and that’s always been in her. And even from when we first meet her in episode 1, we can see that she has a strength to her, but it’s not quite in the forefront. I think being able to actually look inside, and stop thinking about how everyone else treats you, or how everyone else views you, and be authentically yourself — I think there is so much power in that."

Building on Alina’s power as she starts to overcome her own self-doubt is something that appealed to Li about portraying the character. “That’s essentially what Alina learns right at the end of the series: She learns to believe in herself in that moment, and believes that she can do it. And the whole series has been leading up to this point, and we had all the tidbits and clues that that’s what’s going to happen.”

What Jessie Mei Li would like to see in Shadow and Bone season 2

At this point, fans are eagerly waiting to hear if Shadow and Bone receives a second season order from Netflix. The first season finale left off with General Kirigan emerging from the Fold while Alina and Mal promise to return and free Ravka from its clutches. Clearly, there’s more story to tell, and showrunner Eric Heisserer has already confirmed he could see the show continuing for multiple seasons.

If the series is greenlit for season 2, Alina stands to see some serious character growth. With an amplifier around her neck and better control of her power, she’s likely to level up, and book-readers know she’ll be rallying her own army against Kirigan, something Li is looking forward to . “Because Kirigan’s got his shadow soldiers, and then obviously Alina gets her own army, I’d love to see how that manifests and how that affects her.”

Li also mentioned merzost, the sacrifice required of those attempting to create something from nothing. Li would like to see how that will eventually impact Alina, suggesting the series could take a darker tone when tackling the subject:

"Obviously we’ve seen the effects of merzost in the show on Kirigan and his black veins and everything. And Alina’s hair is meant to turn white. I’d be interested to see how gruesome that is. Maybe it will take much more of a darker tone — that’d be quite cool to explore."

It would certainly be interesting to delve further into Grisha power and how amplifiers affect those who use the Small Science, especially ones as powerful as Morozova’s Stag. It seems like something the series could explore further if Netflix gives it the go-ahead for more episodes, and we know Li will bring emotion and introspection worthy of Alina’s loss to their portrayal.

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