Sorry for the lack of updates. I had a death on the family on top of traveling and it didn’t give me a lot of time to focus and work on sites.
I’ve added a bunch of missing photo sessions, magazine scans, and press articles to the site. I’ve also added a bunch of behind the scenes photos from Shadow and Bone. Check them all out below! Thanks.
Netflix’s Shadow And Bone: 13 differences between the show and books
The much-awaited first season of Shadow and Bone dropped on Netflix today [April 23] and fans around the world have been binging it non-stop, curious to see how the series managed to portray their favourite characters.The source material for the show isn’t just the eponymous Shadow and Bone book trilogy, but also the Six of Crows duology by author Leigh Bardugo. Showrunner Eric Heisserer (Arrival, Birdbox) thought it would be best to weave the two stories together, creating a surprisingly seamless narrative that flows perfectly without altering the core of the Grishaverse.
While Netflix’s Shadow and Bone is a pretty faithful adaptation in terms of main events and characterisation, there are some changes to the plot that inevitably had to happen when unifying the two series and transposing them to the screen. Here are 13 differences between the Grishaverse books and the TV show.
*Beware of spoilers for the show and the books*
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“Shadow and Bone” Star Jessie Mei Li on How Alina Taught Them More Than Expected
Throughout our entire conversation, Jessie Mei Li takes sips from their mug making it feel like we’re two friends catching up after many months of not seeing each other. There’s a reason for that. While for many being the main lead of the show would make them feel like they’re in a certain position of power, Jessie has the unique ability to make everyone feel like they’re equals. At one point, the Shadow and Bone star didn’t even realize that they were the main protagonist of the series.
“When we were filming it did very much feel like there was the main six of us: Archie [Renaux], Ben [Barnes], Kit [Young], Freddy [Carter], Amita [Suman], and me. We were all very much equal in that and the leads in my head,” Jessie told Seventeen. “I’m coming to terms with that now. I loved the atmosphere on the set and just had so much fun. I didn’t really have time to be worried about being the lead.”
Jessie, who uses both she/they pronouns (“I’m pretty flexible she, they, whichever your preference is. I’m both.”), considers herself lucky that they had a chance to work with everyone in the cast as Alina Starkov, the newly discovered Sun Summoner who has to come to terms with her powers and new status as the proclaimed uniter of Ravka. They thanked the casting team for seeing “how well they’re going to fit together as a group” when it came to figuring out the show’s many players.
Vegan Shepherd’s Pie & Buffalo Trainers: ‘Shadow And Bone’ Star Jessie Mei Li Shares Her Favourite Things
“I loved Alina from the first time I went into the audition room,” says 25-year-old English-Chinese actor Jessie Mei Li, of taking on the role of Alina Starkov in Netflix’s forthcoming fantasy drama Shadow and Bone, released on 23 April. Based on the bestselling series of novels by Leigh Bardugo, the main shift from the cult books is that Starkov (a cartographer with a “legendary mythical ability to summon sunlight, who is going to change the world”) is written as being of mixed heritage. “Growing up, I wish I had seen more faces like mine,” says Li, who is currently based in Bristol. Before acting – Shadow and Bone marks Li’s first major on-screen role – she worked as a teaching assistant in a secondary school. She says, “I could sit down and talk to someone who was having a hard time and say, ‘I get it, I went through this, too.’” Her character sounds similarly relatable. “Alina is someone who doesn’t necessarily understand herself at first,” but as the show goes on she gains “agency and doesn’t let people take advantage of her. We need more heroines like that.”
“The Chinese side of my family is big on skincare. They are always telling me to wear sunscreen. The one I’m using at the moment is Pai British Summer Time SPF – I use it every day.”
“Bristol has lots of amazing vintage and charity shops, such as The Vintage Thrift Store. I love the excitement of finding a little gem. I have quite a collection of second-hand Buffalo trainers.”
“Every time I see a dress by The Vampire’s Wife, I think about how I want to wear that all the time. I’d go to the grocer down the road wearing one.”
Shadow and Bone’s Jessie Mei Li Is the Fantasy Hero You’ve Been Waiting For
Jessie Mei Li never thought they’d be sitting here. Sure, they hadn’t imagined they’d be discussing their breakout role in fantasy juggernaut Shadow and Bone from the quiet of their Bristol flat, wrapped in a comforter against the late winter chill. But, more broadly, they never thought they’d be discussing their breakout role period.
“I always loved acting, but it was something I never really considered [as a career],” the 25-year-old explains, their shy grin illuminating the window of our Zoom call (Li uses both she and they pronouns). “You can think, ‘Oh, I love drawing, but I’m never going to be a designer.’” But after dropping out of a languages degree at university—because “mental health is a thing,” they say with a laugh—Li realized they were much more skilled than they thought. “I remember thinking, loads of my friends and family don’t know how I’m feeling. I must be better at acting than I give myself credit for.” They signed up for a few acting classes, and the hobby served as a pleasant distraction until they landed a role in All About Eve on the West End opposite Gillian Anderson and Lily James. And now, the lead in a highly anticipated adaptation of a global YA phenomenon.
So, yeah—much better than she gives herself credit for.
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“I Don’t Want to Be Famous”: Jessie Mei Li Braces for Big Breakout With ‘Shadow and Bone’
The British actress, who shines as a light-wielding hero in the new Netflix sci-fi series, talks failed auditions before landing her starring role, aiming for action parts and her grandmother’s pride watching her trailers.
Just a few years ago, acting was far from Jessie Mei Li’s mind. She had dropped out of university at Reigate College in Surrey, England, and was working as a special-education teaching assistant when she decided to try a few acting classes. Li was instantly hooked. “I went to loads of open auditions [and] got rejected,” Li, 25, recalls with a laugh.
The British actress eventually landed an agent on the recommendation of a director from one of those failed auditions. Soon, she had a role on the West End in a production of All About Eve and a small role in Edgar Wright’s upcoming horror film Last Night in Soho.
Now she awaits her biggest stage yet with the April 23 debut of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone series, an adaptation of the popular fantasy books in which she gives a spirited, empathetic performance as Alina Starkov, a young woman with unique powers who’s thrust into the public spotlight and hailed as a savior. Li beat out hundreds of hopefuls for the role.
“So much of this is out of your control,” says Li of auditioning. “You can just go into that room and be yourself and show them what you can do with the words they’ve written. You might as well try and enjoy it.”
I’ve added a bunch of magazine scans that have featured Jessie from a dozen magazines promoting Shadow and Bone. (I can’t seem to find the Elle USA so if anyone has a HQ scan to share with us, please contact me on twitter.) Enjoy all the scans!
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