Netflix are continue to keep viewers in lockdown entertained with the release this month of the anticipated fantasy series, Shadow And Bone. Starring Jessie Mei Li (The National Theatre’s All About Eve), Ben Barnes (Westworld), and Ireland’s own rising star Danielle Galligan (Game Of Thrones), the series is based on the hugely popular young adult novel of the same name by Leigh Bardugo. The book climbed to number 8 on The New York Times Bestseller list, and it’s likely that the series, eerie and full of the best elements of the fantastical, will stun and delight fans and newcomers to the Grishaverse alike.

Shadow And Bone takes place in the world of Ravka, which gets its aesthetic inspiration from Tsarist Russia, and follows orphaned soldier Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li). Ravka has been ripped into two parts by a fold of darkness (called ‘The Shadow Fold’), and when we meet Alina in episode one, she is unaware that she’s special – and possesses magical abilities that could help restore her world to the way it was before the Fold. 

When Alina meets the ominous but intriguing General Kirigan (Ben Barnes), he takes a special interest in nurturing her powers. For Barnes, who saw his big break when he portrayed Prince Caspian in the film adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, it was a new take on a genre with which he was already familiar.

“I’ve found this strange niche for myself in morally ambiguous characters, who are revered by some and feared by others,” the actor says, with a chuckle. “One of the really appealing things about this character, for me, was that I came up through the fantasy ranks, and played these coming-of-age, boys-with-sword roles. 

“It’s interesting for me to be a little bit older, playing this character who is at the top of the hierarchy, in terms of his status in this world. Someone who is powerful, and when he walks into a room everyone immediately falls silent and hangs on what he’s got to say. That was a new angle for me to approach this from.” 

In adapting the series, showrunner Eric Heisserer and author/executive producer Leigh Bardugo changed a small but crucial part of Alina’s character – they made her half Shu (Asian), and cast the character accordingly. 

“Obviously, when we meet her in the books, she’s under-confident and doesn’t believe in herself because of her looks,” says Mei Li of the decision. “Making her half Shu meant that I could really bring my own experience to her. I grew up in a predominantly white area, in a white school, where I was very much ‘the Chinese One’... you never really feel like you belong anywhere.”

This makes Alina’s transformation in the series more dramatic, as Mei Li’s Alina has not only lacked self-confidence because of her looks, but because she’s been actively discriminated against her whole life.

“It’s not something people talk about, being constantly othered,” Mei Li reflects. “It adds so much to Alina’s character. She comes from the fact that she’s being told every day, ‘You look like the enemy’. She’s quietly strong, which I really like about her. 

“Talking about race can go many different ways, and the way they’ve done this with Alina is amazing. Her race and her mixed heritage dictates who she is and has shaped her vulnerability and her wariness of new people, and her need to be loved. She’s a mixed-race character, but that’s not all she is.” 

Shadow And Bone weaves several different complex storylines together, following various characters along their own journey to self-discovery. Alina’s best friend, Mal, played by Archie Renaux, goes on a journey of his own while Alina is exploring her newfound powers. Did Renaux find it difficult to play a character that was so beloved? 

“I guess there’s a little bit of pressure to do the books and the characters justice for Leigh, and for the fans,” Renaux says. “But I didn’t really feel too much pressure, because I felt I was going into it with a fresh pair of eyes, and injecting it with some heart, and a bit of myself. Hopefully, that’s something people watching will be able to relate to.” 

Rising Irish star Danielle Galligan, who plays another beloved character from the novels, Nina Zenik, agrees. 

“There was a bit of pressure,” she says. “When a character is so beloved like that, you’re trying to step into shoes that belong to so many different women – I mean, everyone has their own Nina. That’s down to Leigh’s writing; because she writes so specifically and vibrantly, you feel like you’re stepping into your own Nina, almost. I would hope that my portrayal is not going to take away from anyone else’s Nina. I feel when you read a book, characters find you at certain stages of your life, or you find them. 

“You might be going through something the character will reflect back to you – you get a sense of catharsis or not feeling so alone. And then it dawned on me that so many other people probably have that feeling as well, about Nina. I really tried to keep that in mind. I hope I’ve done enough work to still be that catharsis, or reflect back a certain sense of representation when people have read the books. That’s what I’ve strived for.” 

For Bardugo’s part, she was thrilled with the way the whole series turned out, but especially with the casting choices. 

“The Shadow Fold had to be different from my vision, because in the books it was pitch black,” she says. “Which would make for an incredibly dull viewing experience. I was actually thrilled with how terrifying the Fold was in its final iteration. You can see Eric’s experience with horror coming into play there. 

“But for me, the most gratifying part is watching the actors bring their own personalities and experiences to these characters. Getting to see them interact in these subtle ways – in a look from Ben, or an intake of breath from Jessie – was like getting to see the characters in a way I had never imagined.” 

Galligan says she’s most excited to see how newcomers to the series attach themselves to the characters. 
“The world will offer a lot of escapism, but this story – of a girl, who is told that she will never amount to anything or that she doesn’t matter, finding within her this ancient and rare power – this is about her fight for autonomy, and I find that the most compelling.

“That’s also something which ties all the characters together. They’re outcasts who come from nothing, claiming their place in the world and refusing to fall through the cracks.” 

Kit Young, who plays Jesper, echoes that sentiment. 

“The show does a brilliant job of bringing these pages to life,” he says. “But the main thing is the characters and their relationships with each other. They show real strength.”