Since its premiere in April, Netflix's new fantasy series Shadow and Bone quickly gain momentum and became one of the most popular series out there, with some even comparing it to Game of Thrones. Shadow and Bone — which is based on the 2012 book of the same name — has a very diverse and talented cast.
In today's article, we're taking a look at the show's cast and bringing you some interesting facts about it. From what their first movie roles were to their gender identity — keep on scrolling to find out more about the cast of Shadow and Bone.
10 Archie Renaux Started Off As A Model
Archie Renaux, who stars as Mal Oretsev in Shadow and Bone, kicked off his acting career in 2017 when he appeared in a short movie Market Road. Since then he has had only several acting roles, with the most notable being in movies like Voyagers and Morbius.
Apart from acting, Renaux also does modeling. As a model, he has collaborated with some well-known names in the modeling industry. Topman and Nasir Mazhar. He has also modeled for Gay Times Magazine and he walked on a runway during Men's Fashion Week in London.
9 Jessie Mei Li Did Her Own Stunts
In a recent interview with Byrdie, Jessie Mei Li revealed that, even though she hadn't had any training for the show, she still did her own stunts. "The stunt sequences that I had as Alina were fairly pared-back, and they didn't call for a lot of difficult moves," said the young actress. "I have a background in martial arts. I did it growing up and through my teenage years, so I had a vague understanding of how to throw a punch.|
8 Li Identifies As Gender Nonconforming
When it comes to her gender identity, Jessi Mei Li is open about being gender non-conforming. In an interview with W Magazine Li said: "That was so freeing to me to understand that I could have multiple pronouns and some friends will refer to me as they, and some will refer to me as she, and that's okay … I'm proud to be gender non-conforming."
7 Freddy Carter Made His Directorial And Screenwriting Debut In 2019
After making his acting debut as a soldier in the 2017 superhero movie Wonder Woman and landing a leading role in Netflix's drama series Free Rein, Freddy Carter decided to do his own movie. In 2019 he wrote, directed, and starred in his short movie No. 89. Besides Freddy Carter, the short stars Tom Austen, Caroline Ford, and Oliver Wellington. Carter is already working on his second short movie, which will be titled Broken Gargoyles.
6 Amita Suman Got Her Big Break After Appearing In 'Doctor Who'
Nepali-born British actress Amita Suman — who plays Inej Ghafa on Shadow and Bone — made her acting debut in 2018 thanks to her minor roles in series such as Casualty and Ackley Bridge. The same year Suman also landed her first major acting gig — she appeared in the British sci-fi series Doctor Who. Following her guest role on Doctor Who, Suman moved to The CW's series The Outpost, before landing the role of Inej in Shadow and Bone.
5 Suman Didn't Receive Any Knife-Handling Training
Even though her character is supposed to be very skilled with knives, Amita Suman received zero training on how to handle knives before filming the show. "I didn’t really get any professional knife training. I was just handed these 14 beautiful knives and whenever I had the chance, I was flinging them around and spinning them and breaking quite a few, as well," said the actress during an interview with Collider.
4 Kit Young Starred In Several Theatre Plays
Apart from doing movies and television, English actor Kit Young is also very passionate about theatre performances. Young, who graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art with a degree in acting, appeared in plays such as The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, with the latter getting him a nomination for an Ian Charleson Award.
3 Ben Barnes' First Movie Role Was In 'Stardust'
Ben Barnes kicked off his acting career back in 2006 when he appeared in an episode of a British medical soap opera, Doctors. The next year Barnes made his movie debut when he appeared in the fantasy movie Stardust. Since then, Barnes' career has been in a steady incline — thanks to his roles in movies such as Narnia, Dorian Gray, and Seventh Son, the English actor got his big break and rose to international fame.
2 Barnes Is Also A Singer
Even some of Barnes' biggest fans are not aware of the fact that this English actor can also sing very well. In fact, last week during his appearance on TMRWxTODAY, Barnes revealed that he is planning to release some of his songs very soon.
"I’ve been working on songs that have been in the works for a couple of years with producers," said Barnes, "I love singing so much. Singing was my first love, starting at 19 with my first-ever job."
1 Zoë Wanamaker Appeared In The First 'Harry Potter' Movie
American-born British actress Zoë Wanamaker, who stars as Baghra in Shadow and Bone, has a pretty impressive career. Even though she starred in several series such as Prime Suspect and Love Hurts, the international audience knows her best from the 2001 fantasy movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, where she plays Madam Hooch. Wanamaker didn't appear in any other Harry Potter movies and she publicly called out the movie's producers for underpaying their actors.