The women of Netflix's Shadow and Bone are the kind that you wish you'd see more often on screen and we're glad to have every single one of them in our lives!
New Netflix show Shadow and Bone is being called out by viewers for its inclusion of racism scenes. The fantasy series follows Alina Starkov, who stumbles upon her impressive power of being able to summon light, which then flings her into a life she could never have imagined. However, along the way she is singled out for her race, and in the first few minutes is subjected to racial hatred.
Alina discusses “never being liked” by the people who live around her, because she “looks like the enemy” and in other scenes is called a “half-breed” and a “rice eater”. Alina in the series is half Shu, the rival country to where she is now, and she is played by Jessie Mei Li.
Imagine a show that combined concepts from âStranger Things,â âGame of Thronesâ and âAvatar: The Last Airbender.â It sounds too good to be true, but alas, director Lee Toland Krieger has given us quite the show through his recent release âShadow and Bone.â This Netflix original series is based on novels written by Leigh Bardugo and debuted on the streaming service on April 23.
Oh, but where to begin. The series kicks off to a great start by introducing the main character Alina Starkov, played by Jessie Mei Li. Throughout the series, Starkovâs character development is exceptional, but she has room to grow. Li fits so well into this role, it almost feels as if it was made for her. From emotions of fright in episode one to confidence in episode eight, Li is up for the challenge and presents herself magically through her character.
We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Netflix When are Alina and Genya going to run away together? 26/04/2021
Rainbow Crew is an ongoing interview series that celebrates the best LGBTQ+ representation on screen. Each instalment showcases talent working on both sides of the camera, including queer creatives and allies to the community.
Next up, we re speaking to
Shadow and Bone star
Jessie Mei Li knew about
Shadow and Bone long before she was cast as Alina Starkov, the lead in Netflix s new adaptation. Before being an actor, I used to work as an SEN (special educational needs) teaching assistant in a secondary school. So I knew of the books, and I knew they were popular.
Jessie Mei Li: Who plays Alina Starkov in Shadow and Bone?
Fri Apr 23, 2021 at 12:14am ET
Jessie Mei Li plays Alina Starkov in Shadow and Bone. Pic credit: Netflix
This new fantasy drama is based on a series of bestselling novels written by Leigh Bardugo. The author stayed close with the Grishaverse series, serving as the executive producer on the Netflix adaptation.
Shadow and Bone closely follows the character Alina Starkov. Starkov quickly discovers that she’s Grisha, a special class of humans who possess magical abilities.
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She is known as the very prestigious Sun Summoner and holds the responsibility of destroying the deadly Shadow Fold.