# Jessie Mei Li
**Jessie Mei Li** (born 1995) is a British actress best known for playing the lead role of Alina Starkov in Netflix's fantasy series *[Shadow and Bone](https://www.edgepedia.org/shadow-and-bone-tv-series)* (2021-2023) and, more recently, the protagonist Cola in the Hong Kong-set drama *The Season*. She is of mixed heritage, with a [Cantonese](https://www.edgepedia.org/cantonese) father and a Caucasian mother.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9438171) • [2](https://www.ceromagazine.com/articles/jessie-mei-li-shadow-bone-alina-starkov-actor-interview)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995, Brighton, Sussex, England[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9438171) |
| Signature role | Alina Starkov, lead of Netflix's *Shadow and Bone*, two seasons and 16 episodes, 2021-2023[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9438171) |
| Stage work | Ivo van Hove's *All About Eve* at the Noel Coward Theatre opposite Lily James and Gillian Anderson[3](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/jessie-mei-li/) |
| Film | Lara in Edgar Wright's *Last Night in Soho* (2021); Ellie in Netflix's *Havoc* (2025) opposite Tom Hardy[3](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/jessie-mei-li/) |
| Recent lead | Cola Pierce in *The Season*, a six-part drama from PCCW Media and SK Global set in Hong Kong's boating world[4](https://www.pccw.com/assets/Common/files/press-release/2025/Mar/Press%20Release_PCCWMedia_TheSeason_EN.pdf) |
| Pronouns | She/they[5](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/how-shadow-and-bones-jessie-mei-li-grounds-the-grishaverse/) |
## Early life and training
Li was born in Brighton, Sussex, and grew up in Redhill, Surrey.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9438171) • [6](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/jessie-mei-li-interview-alina-starkov-shadow-and-bone-representation-b1065061.html) Before acting she worked as a teaching assistant in a secondary school, and she has said she especially enjoyed working with neurodivergent children.[6](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/jessie-mei-li-interview-alina-starkov-shadow-and-bone-representation-b1065061.html) • [7](https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/jessie-mei-li-shadow-bone-interview)
Her route into the profession ran through part-time training rather than a drama school degree. *Marie Claire* reports that in 2015 she became a member of the [National Youth Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-youth-theatre) and afterwards studied at the Identity School of Acting, a part-time school whose former students include [Letitia Wright](https://www.edgepedia.org/letitia-wright), John Boyega, and Chance Perdomo; the CV from her agent records Identity School of Acting for 2016-2017.[8](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a36212065/who-is-jessie-mei-li-shadow-and-bone/) • [9](https://www.independenttalent.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=get_clients_cv_pdf&client_id=14018) She began with short courses and workshops, saying she had not considered acting something she could do as a job.[10](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/jessie-mei-li-shadow-and-bone-alina-starkov)
## Stage breakthrough
Li's first substantial exposure came on stage rather than screen. She appeared in director Ivo van Hove's adaptation of *All About Eve* at the Noel Coward Theatre in the West End, opposite [Lily James](https://www.edgepedia.org/lily-james) and [Gillian Anderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/gillian-anderson).[3](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/jessie-mei-li/) • [2](https://www.ceromagazine.com/articles/jessie-mei-li-shadow-bone-alina-starkov-actor-interview) At the time her screen credits were limited to a single episode of the Channel 5 docudrama *Banged Up Abroad*, and she had not worked for a year, even as fan interest in her forthcoming Netflix role was building online.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/apr/20/shadow-and-bone-star-jessie-mei-li-fans-find-out-everything)
## Shadow and Bone
Li's casting as Alina Starkov, the lead of Netflix's adaptation of [Leigh Bardugo](https://www.edgepedia.org/leigh-bardugo)'s Grishaverse novels, was announced to a level of fan enthusiasm that trade coverage compared to the reception of franchises like [Harry Potter](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-potter) and Marvel.[12](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3356835/everything-know-about-jessie-mei-li-star-hong-kong-revenge-thriller-season) The series, produced with showrunner [Eric Heisserer](https://www.edgepedia.org/eric-heisserer) and executive producer Bardugo, follows Alina, a mapmaker who discovers she is a Grisha with the power to summon sunlight, and it ran for two seasons of eight episodes each.[13](https://time.com/5956638/shadow-and-bone-books-six-of-crows/) • [8](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a36212065/who-is-jessie-mei-li-shadow-and-bone/) It was her first major on-screen role.[7](https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/jessie-mei-li-shadow-bone-interview)
The adaptation changed the character's background to match Li's casting. In the novels Alina is assumed to be White, but the show's creators made her half-Ravkan and half-Shu, an Asian-inspired race within the story's world, a change the show's makers felt created a more compelling character truer to the story.[14](https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10157580/2/Ikram%20Belaid%20Thesis%202022.pdf) • [2](https://www.ceromagazine.com/articles/jessie-mei-li-shadow-bone-alina-starkov-actor-interview) Li has spoken about the significance of that representation, telling *Teen Vogue* why it mattered that Alina is mixed-race, and appearing on a Backstage panel with four other AAPI actors calling for more equity in casting.[15](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/shadow-and-bone-star-jessie-mei-li-interview-season-one) • [16](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/jamie-chung-jessie-mei-li-aapi-representation-panel-73536/)
Between seasons, Li described how her approach changed. Returning for Season 2 (released March 16, 2023), she knew the tone of the show and its audience, and she credited her working relationships with co-stars, including Ben Barnes, who took her under his wing in the first season, with making the production's demanding days easier.[17](https://time.com/6259242/new-on-netflix-march-2023/) • [18](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/jessie-mei-li-shadow-and-bone-podcast-interview-76078/)
## Screen work after Alina
While *Shadow and Bone* was her breakout, Li built a parallel film career. She played Lara, a minor role, in [Edgar Wright](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgar-wright)'s 1960s London-set psychological horror *Last Night in Soho* (2021).[5](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/how-shadow-and-bones-jessie-mei-li-grounds-the-grishaverse/) • [3](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/jessie-mei-li/) Later credits include Rose in the [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) series *The Agency* (2024-2025, two episodes), Haruka in the BBC series *We Might Regret This* (2024), and Ellie in Netflix's action film *Havoc* (2025), starring opposite [Tom Hardy](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hardy) and directed by Gareth Evans.[19](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jessie-mei-li/) • [3](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/jessie-mei-li/)
**The Season.** Li leads the cast of *The Season*, a six-part English-language drama created and produced by Yalun Tu, with Chilean director Marialy Rivas as lead director, produced by PCCW Media in association with SK Global, the studio behind *[Crazy Rich Asians](https://www.edgepedia.org/crazy-rich-asians-film)*. Set during Hong Kong's exclusive boating season, the series follows a privileged circle whose summer is disrupted by the arrival of Li's character, Cola Pierce, an outsider with a hidden agenda.[4](https://www.pccw.com/assets/Common/files/press-release/2025/Mar/Press%20Release_PCCWMedia_TheSeason_EN.pdf) • [12](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3356835/everything-know-about-jessie-mei-li-star-hong-kong-revenge-thriller-season) Li has described Cola as someone who had to graft her way into a world she was not born into, tenacious and bold, and compared her to a [Venus flytrap](https://www.edgepedia.org/venus-flytrap).[20](https://eurweb.com/jessie-mei-li-the-season-interview/) The ensemble cast includes Karena Lam, Justin Chien, Yvonne Chapman, Celina Jade, and [Toby Stephens](https://www.edgepedia.org/toby-stephens).[4](https://www.pccw.com/assets/Common/files/press-release/2025/Mar/Press%20Release_PCCWMedia_TheSeason_EN.pdf)
## References
1. [Jessie Mei Li, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9438171)
2. [Jessie Mei Li Shows Both Sides, Cero Magazine](https://www.ceromagazine.com/articles/jessie-mei-li-shadow-bone-alina-starkov-actor-interview)
3. [Jessie Mei Li, Independent Talent](https://www.independenttalent.com/actors/jessie-mei-li/)
4. [PCCW Media unveils new drama series, The Season (press release, PDF)](https://www.pccw.com/assets/Common/files/press-release/2025/Mar/Press%20Release_PCCWMedia_TheSeason_EN.pdf)
5. [How Shadow and Bone's Jessie Mei Li Grounds the Grishaverse, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/how-shadow-and-bones-jessie-mei-li-grounds-the-grishaverse/)
6. [Jessie Mei Li interview: the Shadow and Bone star on season 2, queerness and Asian representation, The Standard](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/jessie-mei-li-interview-alina-starkov-shadow-and-bone-representation-b1065061.html)
7. [Vegan Shepherd's Pie & Buffalo Trainers: Shadow And Bone's Jessie Mei Li Shares Her Favourite Things, British Vogue](https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/jessie-mei-li-shadow-bone-interview)
8. [Who is Jessie Mei Li From 'Shadow and Bone'?, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a36212065/who-is-jessie-mei-li-shadow-and-bone/)
9. [Jessie Mei Li CV, Independent Talent (PDF)](https://www.independenttalent.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=get_clients_cv_pdf&client_id=14018)
10. [Jessie Mei Li On 'Shadow And Bone' & Her Hopes For Alina In A Possible Season 2, Nylon](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/jessie-mei-li-shadow-and-bone-alina-starkov)
11. [Shadow and Bone star Jessie Mei Li: 'Fans find out everything', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/apr/20/shadow-and-bone-star-jessie-mei-li-fans-find-out-everything)
12. [Everything to know about Jessie Mei Li, star of Hong Kong revenge thriller The Season, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3356835/everything-know-about-jessie-mei-li-star-hong-kong-revenge-thriller-season)
13. [How Netflix's Shadow and Bone Builds on Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse Novels, TIME](https://time.com/5956638/shadow-and-bone-books-six-of-crows/)
14. [Representing and imagining BIPOC characters in YA fantasy (UCL thesis, 2022, PDF)](https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10157580/2/Ikram%20Belaid%20Thesis%202022.pdf)
15. ['Shadow and Bone' Star Jessie Mei Li on Why It's Important Alina Is Mixed-Race, Teen Vogue](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/shadow-and-bone-star-jessie-mei-li-interview-season-one)
16. [Jamie Chung, Jessie Mei Li Call for AAPI Equity, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/jamie-chung-jessie-mei-li-aapi-representation-panel-73536/)
17. [Here's Everything New on Netflix in March 2023, TIME](https://time.com/6259242/new-on-netflix-march-2023/)
18. [How Jessie Mei Li Went From Unknown to the West End to Netflix's 'Shadow and Bone', Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/jessie-mei-li-shadow-and-bone-podcast-interview-76078/)
19. [Jessie Mei Li, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jessie-mei-li/)
20. [Jessie Mei Li on Her Revenge Driven Role in 'The Season', EUR](https://eurweb.com/jessie-mei-li-the-season-interview/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames L to Mb*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license