The cast of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone on a bond that transcends the screen

I stan a real friendship, and there’s such a great supportive energy on set today. You can’t fake it. 

Kit: That’s what you think. It’s a well-oiled machine.

Jessie: We’re all just very good actors. (laughs)

I think the element which unites all the characters is that sooner or later, they do realize that they can’t execute all their plans – whether that’d be a journey to foreign lands or another clever heist – by themselves. There has to be a support network that they could rely on. Would anyone like to look back at that moment when you realized that there’s also this beautiful friendship brewing here with these people sitting in this circle right now? 

Kit: It’s a circumstance thing in a lot of ways. We shot the show in Budapest, and what was very interesting is that lots of us didn’t have the experiences of that place. We discovered the setting that we were in together. That’s naturally quite bonding.

Jessie: It’s like a school trip.

Kit: Yes. We’re all at similar stages in our careers as well. I think this is the biggest project that any of us has done. I can’t speak for everyone, but that’s the experience that I found that we had as a group. People do say to us – ‘you guys seem to be close’, and I always just go – ‘yes.’

Jessie: I think everyone’s got their best interests at heart, and no one’s weirdly competitive. We all genuinely have a lot of love for each other. You guys do some silly shit, but I have to do a lot of mad shit as Alina, including flailing my arms around. A lot. We all do those things surrounded by people that we genuinely trust. It makes all the difference, and that’s one of the most important things for me. 

Jack: I knew I was joining a very well-oiled machine where the cast were friends, which makes you think that you don’t want to be the one who comes in and disrupts or ruins that. It’s also funny because the first day at a new job really goes to your head, and you feel extremely nervous.

I tend to write down keywords or phrases that describe my interviewees when I’m preparing for an interview and doing my research. For example, I made a note that Kit doesn’t like cake. If you could pick a few keywords to describe the new season and your character’s journey in it, what would those words be? 

Kit: I would say vulnerable, emotional, and playful. And I’m going to put that in a book.

Freddy: I would say fighting, revenge, trauma.

Well, that gives quite a different vibe, doesn’t it? (laughs)

Kit: We’re in the same show. We’re in the same scenes!

Freddy: We’re best friends! (laughs)

Amita: Fighting for and against love.

Kit: That’s good. Inej Ghafa – fighting for and against love.

Jessie: I love that!

Kit: An evening with Amita Suman.

Freddy: A memoir.

Amita: That’s an idea. Netflix, hellooooo. (laughs)

Jessie: What’s Alina about…

Quoting Jessie Mei Li herself, she’s doing some crazy shit.

Jessie: Yes, doing some crazy shit. Alina’s saving the world, doing the absolute most. She’s pretty traumatized yet powerful.  

Jack: It’s hard to describe Wylan in a few words, so I’ll use phrases. Wylan is possibly about disrupting the status quo and being underestimated, but he’s also about playfulness and joy.

Jessie: That describes you as well!

Jack: I’m disrupting the status quo. (laughs)

Jessie – let’s talk about Alina. I think one of my favorite features of your character – and this was also beautifully depicted in your performance on screen – is the growing confidence in her inner power, which gives the viewer a chance to see the other side of her. I think it’s also so inspiring to the viewers like me who, perhaps, are also battling the imposter syndrome when so often you have to put this sort of a…

Jessie: Façade. 

Exactly, a façade. And in season two, we see Alina scraping that façade away and embracing who she really is. What was the most thrilling for you to explore this season with your character, and were there any specific layers you had to unpeel from Alina and yourself? 

Jessie: When we meet Alina in season one, she acts quite cowardly. She doesn’t want her power. She’s also afraid and dependent on Mal. I was talking about it with the creatives of the show, and it’s more like a thing for me, but each time Alina gets amplifiers, I wanted them to make subtle changes about her. After getting the first amplifier in season one – the Stag – Alina found her inner steadiness. The Sea Whip explored the anger and rage she pushed aside. I think a lot of her core is about hiding away, and it was quite a challenge to have this reluctant protagonist who never believed it was feasible for her to lead the Second Army. That was all quite fun, you know, trying to work out how to do that all with her voice and generally giving her a different energy. It was all eye-opening and taught me a lot about myself and things I want to work on as well.

Freddy, this season we get to see the backstory of Kaz’s life and what has molded him into this noir antihero that is so beloved by fans. You’ve mentioned that you felt a great sense of ownership with this character – how important was that for your character’s development and yourself in season two?

Freddy: After reading and shooting season one, I remember thinking – ‘I hope that he won’t come across as someone who just does a lot of bad stuff for no reason.’ (laughs) 

When you read the books, the antihero aspect is made very clear, and you understand why Kaz does the things he does. What I was really excited about reading in season two and then finally getting to do was this huge release when the audience finally understands quite why he can’t talk about certain things, get in touch with his emotions, or why he pushes people away. And, hopefully, that will feel exciting to the viewers. I know that for the fans of the books and the fans of the show, it’s a pivotal moment, so some pressure came along with it. But the good kind of pressure.

I’d like to open this question to the circle – how important the character ownership is to all of you? 

Kit: This show is quite specific because the characters are source material and have existed before we did them. And with that comes a certain expectation from the people who would engage with that source material. You’re either living up to something, going against something or trying to find a middle ground. I think you have more license with something fresh or where nobody knows the characters until you’ve portrayed them. What’s important to me when building a character is – listen, as an actor, I’m a hired gun, and you’ve chosen to give me the job. I have to prove to myself why it makes sense to have chosen me as opposed to another actor, so I have to maintain a certain level of ownership over my choices. Otherwise, go and get someone better. If I feel that sense of accomplishment that I have achieved with something I own, then I can at least rest a bit and go – ‘you know, I think I did a good day’s work today.’ 

Jack: That’s such an interesting way to describe that. I love it. We also talk a lot as actors about bringing ourselves to a role versus playing characters that are far away from us. But it’s interesting playing characters that feel close to us. I saw myself in Wylan when I was reading the books, and that’s the temptation there – to put yourself in those situations. I may not be making any sense right now, but when you get self-conscious about it, whether you’re right or wrong to play that someone, you lose your focus.

Kit: You’re right. I remember when we did our chemistry read, I could see how Jack was the perfect Wylan for this set of Crows. When I auditioned, I thought I might be the Jesper for this Kaz and this Inej, so it’s also about where you fit. If it was a completely different set of people, I might’ve been a terrible choice because they might’ve gone for a different aesthetic. You find your way of making yourself feel right for it.

Jack: And you’re a part of the project as it is, not as it could be with somebody else. You’re right because you were right in that set of circumstances. I know what it’s like to see the characters I love in books. You want them to look or feel a certain way, and as an actor, you go – ‘I’m the person who’s going to walk the first time as this character or breathe or interact with the characters that they don’t interact with within the books.’ I’m the person who ultimately decides how those things go. But yes, bringing back to the fact that if it was you, it was you. There’s something about those qualities that work within this adaptation and this world. I went really too deep into all of this. (laughs)

Kit: We’re here for the deep dives.

And we’re here for the deep conversations. Guys, what does your process of stepping into the character look like – do you use the power of smells, props, or perhaps, sounds of music to step into one’s mindset? 

Amita: I think that it’s impossible to show what or who the character is just within one scene as it comes to taping, auditions and taking that pressure off. For me, it becomes a sensory experience, so I use smells quite a bit as I grew up surrounded by them. Also, it always comes down to purpose, really. I have to remind myself of that purpose and be in the character’s shoes. Literally. Inej’s boots are tight and made of leather with a slight heel…

Jessie: You do have a shoe thing.

Amita: I do, weirdly enough. In a nutshell, it’s reminding me of that purpose, having that pin-straight posture and also taking a breath. As soon as the crew hits action, I take a deep breath. That’s how I do it.

Freddy: I remember when we were shooting season one, and the first time I had to do a scene without the cane, it really really threw me off. (laughs)

Could you remind us of the scene you have in mind?

Freddy: It was back in the first season, episode five. Kaz was wearing his disguise, walking through the Palace. The whole point of the scene was that he was walking without his cane for the first time. I thought – ‘I don’t know how to do this without the cane’, but then I questioned myself – ‘have I been using it as a crutch for those four months?’. It turns out that I was. (laughs)