Jessie Mei Li

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Chinese actress, see Jessie Li.

Jessie Mei Li
Jessie Mei Li.jpg
Li in 2019
Born
Jessica Mei Li

(1995-08-27) 27 August 1995 (age 26)
Brighton, East Sussex, England
OccupationActress
Years active2018–present

Jessica Mei Li (born 27 August 1995) is an English actress. She[a] stars as Alina Starkov in the Netflix fantasy series Shadow and Bone. She also appeared in the 2019 production of All About Eve and in Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho.

Early life and education[]

Li was born in Brighton, East Sussex to an English mother and a Chinese father who was born in mainland China and raised in Hong Kong. Her mother is a nurse and her father is a solicitor. She grew up in Redhill, Surrey and has an older brother who is a doctor in the NHS.[1][2][3] On growing up in a predominantly white area in the south of England, Li commented that "racism towards Asian people in the U.K. ... is so weird and not taken seriously." Li stated that during childhood, people were "outright racist and mocking" towards her.[2]

Li attended Reigate College from 2010 to 2012.[4] She began studying French and Spanish at the University of Sussex, but eventually dropped out.[5][6] For nearly two years, Li worked as a teaching assistant for children with special needs at a local secondary school.[5]

Li joined the National Youth Theatre in 2015 and trained part-time at Identity School of Acting from 2016 to 2017.[7][3]

Career[]

Li made her professional stage debut in February 2019 playing the role of Claudia Casswell in All About Eve at Noel Coward Theatre, directed and adapted for the stage by Ivo van Hove, alongside Gillian Anderson and Lily James. The production was broadcast live internationally via National Theatre Live on 11 April 2019.[8][9]

In October 2019, it was announced Li would star in the lead role of Alina Starkov in the 2021 Netflix series Shadow and Bone, an adaptation of Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse fantasy book series Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows.[10] Bardugo voiced support for Li's casting, saying, "In many ways, Jessie is the person Alina grows into―confident, joyful, brave. I saw all of that, and also this tremendous vulnerability that felt so true to who Alina is."[6] The first season premiered on 23 April 2021.[11]

Li initially had reservations about auditioning for the character of Alina Starkov, whose ethnicity was changed from white to mixed race for the show, citing concerns about whether the change was being made due to a diversity quota.[12] Li's apprehension was put at ease after auditioning, when she was asked to perform a scene in which Alina explicitly discusses race and her experience as a biracial woman.[5] This convinced Li that the change in Starkov's ethnicity "wasn't just a diversity box ticker" and "was something to help build the world and to help build her character."[1]

In February 2021, musician James Humphrys released the music video for his single "Three Weeks" starring Li, who also directed and co-edited the video.[13]

Li appears as Lara Chung in Edgar Wright's 2021 film Last Night in Soho.[14]

Personal life[]

Li is based in Bristol. She is vegan.[15] She struggled with undiagnosed ADHD until receiving a formal diagnosis as an adult,[16] which "answered many lifelong questions" and "completely changed how I viewed loads of things in my life". Li has been vocal about wanting to be a role model for neurodivergent people.[5]

Li uses both she and they pronouns, saying, "I'm pretty flexible, she, they, whichever your preference is. I'm both."[17] She also describes herself as gender nonconforming.[18] She began studying Hungarian so she could bond with Shadow and Bone's crew members.[6] She has experience with martial arts such as Taekwondo and Wing Chun.[19] Since infancy, Li has a worn a necklace depicting her Chinese zodiac sign, the Pig.[20]

Li has spoken on growing up with a lack of positive Asian[2] and biracial representation onscreen.[20] Li has noted that her mixed-race background was "certainly something I felt growing up" and that she "put up with a lot of microaggressions, and also just outright racist comments".[12] Her conflict over her dual heritage was compounded when she began auditioning, where she noticed mixed-race roles would sometimes go to fully Asian or white actors.[1] In an April 2021 interview with Vogue Australia, Li spoke out against the recent rise in anti-Asian hate, and emphasized the importance of nuanced portrayals of Asians in media.[12]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
2018 Together, They Smoke Rose Shortflix
2019 All About Eve Claudia Casswell National Theatre Live
Travelooper Kiera Short film
2021 Last Night in Soho Lara
TBA Pork Scratchings Ericka Short film; upcoming
Kukeri Upcoming
Havoc Ellie Upcoming[21]

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
2018 Strangers 1 episode[22]
2019 Locked Up Abroad Christina Jocko Docuseries; episode: "Panamania"
2021-present Shadow and Bone Alina Starkov Main role

Music videos[]

Year Song Artist Notes
2018 "A Thousand Ringing Bells"
2021 "Three Weeks" James Humphrys Starred; co-directed; edited[13]

Stage[]

Year Title Role Notes
2019 All About Eve Claudia Casswell Noel Coward Theatre, London

Notes[]

  1. ^ Li uses she and they pronouns. This article uses feminine pronouns for consistency.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Mottram, James (17 April 2021). "Netflix's Shadow and Bone star Jessie Mei Li on being half-Chinese, growing up in England and her love for Edgar Wright". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Robinson, Joanna (22 April 2021). "Shadow and Bone Star Jessie Mei Li Steps Into the Grishaverse". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b Llewellyn Smith, Julia (14 February 2021). "The ones to watch: meet the next generation of megastars". You Magazine. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  4. ^ "On Route: Reigate College" (PDF). Reigate College. 6 March 2019. p. 6. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Heritage, Stuart (21 April 2021). "Shadow and Bone star Jessie Mei Li: 'Fans find out everything'". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Kosin, Julie (22 April 2021). "Shadow and Bone's Jessie Mei Li Is The Fantasy Hero You've Been Waiting For". Elle. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Jessie Mei Li". Independent Talent Group. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  8. ^ Wood, Alex (4 January 2019). "Full All About Eve cast joining Gillian Anderson and Lily James confirmed". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  9. ^ McPhee, Ryan (13 February 2019). "Read the Reviews for London's All About Eve, Starring Gillian Anderson and Lily James". Playbill. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  10. ^ Kanter, Jake (2 October 2019). "Shadow and Bone: Westworld's Ben Barnes & Last Night in Soho's Jessie Mei Li Among Cast For Netflix Series". Deadline. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  11. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (27 January 2021). "Shadow and Bone: Netflix Sets Official Premiere Date, Unveils First-Look Images". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Yee, Hannah-Rose (22 April 2021). "Like her Shadow and Bone character, Jessie Mei Li is changing the world". Vogue Australia. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  13. ^ a b Peters, Jo (4 February 2021). "James Humphrys – Releases "Three Weeks" video starring/directed by Netflix's Jessie Mei Li (Shadow and Bone)". WithGuitars. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  14. ^ Sprague, Mike (9 January 2020). "Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho Involves "Abstract" Time Travel". Dread Central. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  15. ^ Bjella, Braden. "interview | jessie mei li". Schön!. Schon Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  16. ^ Fuentes, Tamara (22 April 2021). "Exclusive: Shadow and Bone Star Jessie Mei Lin on How Alina Taught Them More Than Expected". Seventeen. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  17. ^ Fuentes, Tamara (22 April 2021). "Exclusive: "Shadow and Bone" Star Jessie Mei Li on How Alina Taught Them More Than Expected". Seventeen. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  18. ^ Bergado, Gabe (23 April 2021). "Shadow and Bone's Jessie Mei Li Has Already Found Her Inner Power". W Magazine. New York City: W Media. ISSN 0162-9115. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  19. ^ "Jessie Mei Li". Independent Talent Group. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  20. ^ a b Pike, Naomi (23 April 2021). "Vegan Shepherd's Pie & Buffalo Trainers: Shadow and Bone Star Jessie Mei Li Shares Her Favourite Things". Vogue UK. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  21. ^ Rubin, Rebecca; Frater, Patrick (28 June 2021). "Timothy Olyphant, Justin Cornwell and Others Join Tom Hardy in Netflix Action Thriller 'Havoc' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  22. ^ Redfern, Philippa. "Press Release: All About Eve" (PDF). The Corner Shop. Retrieved 17 February 2020.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""