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Netflix’s new epic fantasy series Shadow and Bone features a sprawling ensemble cast that includes Jessie Mei Li as protagonist Alina Starkov, Archie Renaux as Alina’s childhood friend Malyen “Mal” Oretsev, and Ben Barnes as the powerful and brooding General Kirigan.
Based on the book of the same name by Leigh Dabrugo, Shadow and Bone is set in a world plagued by war and divided by a dark, monster-filled expanse called the Shadow Fold. Alina Starkov, an orphan drafted into the First Army as a mapmaker, learns that she is a powerful magic-wielder known as the Sun Summoner, who has the power to summon light and perhaps even destroy the Fold entirely. This soon makes her a target for multiple factions, some of whom want to help her dismantle the Fold, others who want to preserve it, and others still who have even more sinister motives.
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Adapted for TV by Eric Heisserer, Shadow and Bone season 1 explores a wide expanse of the Grishaverse, from Chernast to Ketterdam. Here’s a complete guide to the cast and characters of the show.
Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov
Alina Starkov was raised in an orphanage and has always been a target for bullies, due to her part-Shu heritage and appearance (Shu Han is a country in the Grishaverse loosely based on China and Mongolia). This led her to form a close bond with fellow orphan Mal Oretsev, and also taught her fearlessness in the face of bullies. After coming of age, Alina joins the First Army as a cartographer due to her drawing skills, and embarks on a mission into the Fold when new maps are required. It’s there that she discovers her hidden power as a Grisha: magic-wielders who are both revered and hated in her home country of Ravka.
Shadow and Bone is actress Jessie Mei Li’s first major role. She previously appeared in the sci-fi short film Travelooper and starred alongside Gillian Anderson and Lily James in the 2019 West End production of All About Eve. Li will play Lara Chung in Edgar Wright’s upcoming film Last Night in Soho.
Ben Barnes as General Kirigan
General Aleksandr Kirigan, also known as the Darkling, is a powerful Grisha who has the ability to summon darkness and even form it into lethal blades. A leader of the Second Army, Ravka’s division of Grisha fighters, General Kirigan takes a keen interest in Alina after her Sun Summoner powers are revealed. As a descendant of the Grisha who created the Shadow Fold, Kirigan is determined to destroy it and redeem his family’s bloodline.
Ben Barnes’s first major role was as Prince Caspian in the 2008 adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia novel. He also played the titular role in the 2009 adaptation of Dorian Gray. More recently Barnes is known for his TV roles as Billy Russo a.k.a. Jigsaw in The Punisher and Logan in Westworld.
Archie Renaux as Malyen Oretsev
Malyen “Mal” Oretsev grew up in the orphanage with Alina and frequently found himself being bullied and getting into fights. After coming of age he was drafted into the First Army as a soldier, and is specifically skilled as a tracker. He has a close relationship with Alina and is fiercely loyal to her. When the two of them are separated, Mal makes it his mission to do whatever it takes to get back to her.
Archie Renaux previously appeared alongside Ben Barnes in the BBC miniseries Gold Digger, and is set to appear in the 2021 sci-fi movie Voyagers. He will also play Bobby in Sony’s upcoming Marvel movie Morbius.
Freddy Carter as Jaz Brekker
Also known as the “Bastard of the Barrel,” Kaz Brekker is the leader of a gang called the Crows, one of several competing criminal factions in Kerch’s capital city, Ketterdam. His base of operations is a gambling house called the Crow Club, but Kaz has greater ambitions and is drawn in by whispers of a job that promises to pay one million kruge. Determined to beat his old enemy, Pekka Rollins, to the prize money, Kaz rallies his associates and throws everything he has into a mission that will take him through the Fold.
Freddy Carter previously played Pin in the Netflix series Free Rein, had a recurring guest role as Jason Ripper in Pennyworth, and starred in the 2018 horror movie The Convent.
Amita Suman as Inej Ghafa
Inej Ghafa was taken from her Suli parents by slavers and sold to Heleen, the madam who runs a brothel called The Menagerie in Ketterdam. With some time still left on her indentured servitude, Inej has been hired from Heleen by Kaz to aid him in his criminal endeavors. Inej has the lethal skills of a master assassin – armed with an assortment of knives, possessing great speed and agility, and capable of disappearing into a crowd in the blink of an eye. For personal reasons, however, she is unwilling to use these skills to actually commit murder.
Amita Suman played Naya in the CW series The Outpost, and guest-starred as Umbreen in the Doctor Who season 11 episode “Demons of the Punjab.”
Kit Young as Jesper Fahey
Jasper Fahey is another of Kaz Brekker’s allies, and is always armed with a quick wit and a pair of pistols. His preternaturally accurate aim makes him a useful person to have around in a fight, but he’s not necessarily the most reliable member of the crew, as Jesper is easily distracted from his tasks by the promise of entertainment.
Kit Young played Octavius in a 2018 production of Julius Caesar and Lysander in a 2019 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, both at London’s Bridge Theatre.
Danielle Galligan as Nina Zenik
Nina Zenik is a highly skilled Grisha born with the particular talent of Heartrending. This gives her the ability to hear a person’s heartbeat and know if they’re lying, influence them to give up information, quicken a person’s heart to save their life or slow their heart to a stop in order to kill them. Nina is set to join Kaz’s crew until she’s rudely captured by a band of Drüskelle, witch-hunters from Ravka’s enemy nation of Fjerdan.
Danielle Galligan played Sarra Frey in Game of Thrones, Enaj in Krypton, and Daiga Mednis in the crime thriller series Cold Courage.
Calahan Skogman as Matthias Helvar
Matthias Helvar is among the group of Drüskelle who capture Nina and bring her on a ship back to Fjerdan for a sham trial ahead of her inevitable execution. Loosely based on Scandinavia, Fjerdan is a nation at war with Ravka that condemns acts of witchcraft and actively seeks to destroy Grisha. Despite the cruel nature of his job, Matthias has strict beliefs about morality and justice and offers small acts of kindness to Nina while she is in captivity.
Calahan Skogman previously appeared in the short films Visions and G.I. José, as well as the feature horror-comedy Blood Puppet! Christmas ’94.
Shadow and Bone’s Supporting Cast – Grisha, Royalty & The Little Palace
- Daisy Head as Genya Safin – A Tailor, with the ability to perform minor healing and change people’s appearances, who befriends Alina.
- Zoë Wanamaker as Brugha – A master Grisha who teaches students at the Little Palace to refine their powers.
- Sujaya Dasgupta as Zoya Nazyalensky – A Squaller, with the ability to manipulate the winds, who is loyal to General Kirigan and immediately dislikes Alina.
- Julian Kostov as Fedyor Kaminsky – A Heartrender who escorts Alina on her journey to the Little Palace, the home and training grounds for the Grisha.
- Simon Sears as Ivan – Fedyor’s partner and another of Alina’s Heartrender escorts, Ivan is as grim-tempered as Fedyor is cheerful.
- Jasmine Blackborow as Marie - An Inferni, with the ability to manipulate fire, who befriends Alina after she arrives at the Little Palace.
- Gabrielle Brooks as Nadia - A Squaller and Marie’s best friend, who is also welcoming to Alina.
- Luke Pasqualino as David Kostyk – A Fabrikator, with the ability to manipulate matter and create weapons, tools and lightweight armor.
- Kevin Eldon as The Apparat - The spiritual adviser to King Pyotr, The Apparat also offers unsolicited advice to Alina.
- Kelly Gough as Polina – One half of a set of powerful Inferni twins.
- Andy Apollo as Pavel - The other Inferni twin.
- Gareth Turkington as Feliks – A Heartrender loyal to General Kirigan.
- Hon Ping Tang as Botkin – A Shu fighter who trains the Grisha at the Little Palace in hand-to-hand combat.
- Jesse Badger as Dima – A stable boy at the Little Palace.
- Katrina Durden as Olga – A soldier loyal to Baghra.
- David Verrey as King Pyotr – The ruler of Ravka.
- Georgia Reece as Queen Tatiana – The queen of Ravka.
- George Parker as Prince Vasily - Pyotr and Tatiana’s son.
- Genesis Lynea as Natacha – An Inferni who leads Mal and Alina’s supply run across the Fold.
Shadow and Bone’s Supporting Cast - First Army
- Andy Burse as Dubrov - One of Mal’s friends and fellow trackers, who follows him on a risky mission.
- Angus Castle-Doughty as Mikhael – Mal’s other tracker friend, who joins him and Dubrov on their quest.
- Jimmy Clark as Tofin – A soldier in Mal’s unit who joins him in carrying a message to the Little Palace.
- Antonin Masek as Alexei – A cartographer in Alina’s unit who joins her in the supply run across the Fold.
- Tom Weston-Jones as General Zlatan - A Ravkan military leader who is trying to lead an insurrection against the king.
- Hugo Speer as Lieutenant Bohdan – The officer overseeing Alina and Mal’s units.
- Jim High as Sergeant Yure Teplov – Leader of the First Army soldiers who join the Grisha on a supply run across the Fold.
- Caroline Boulton as Petya – Leader of Alina’s cartography unit.
- Kelly Banlaki as Raisa – A cartographer in Alina’s unit.
- Attila Atanaz Babinchak as Liev – A cartographer in Alina’s unit.
Shadow and Bone’s Supporting Cast – Ketterdam and Elsewhere
- Howard Charles as Arken – A smuggler known as the Conductor, who has a secret means of transporting people across the Fold.
- Dean Lennox Kelly as Pekka Rollins – Leader of Ketterdam’s criminal outfit the Dime Lions, and an old enemy of Kaz.
- Deirdre Mullins as Tante Heleen – The madam who runs The Menagerie, a Ketterdam brothel.
- Julia Ubrankovics as Milana – A Heartrender indentured at The Menagerie.
- Pedro Lloyd Gardiner as Marko – The leader of a performance troupe invited to the Little Palace.
- Sean Gilder as Dressen – A Ketterdam crime boss who puts out a call for a million kruge job.
- Micah Holmes as Poppy Cox – A Ketterdam stage performer who has a connection to the Conductor.
- Lucy Griffiths as Luda – An important figure from General Kirigan’s past.
- Steven Hartley as Commander Chalikov – An old enemy of General Kirigan.
- Narimder Samra as Rotty – A fence who approaches Kaz at the Crow Club.
- David Wurawa as Edyck – An enforcer in the Dime Lions.
- Scott A. Young as Big Bolliger – A bouncer at the Crow Club.
- Elizabeth Rider as Ana Kuya - The housekeeper at the orphanage where Mal and Alina grew up.
- Harry Baxendale as Forich – A bully at the orphanage.
- Kaylan Teague as Young Alina
- Cody Molko as Young Mal
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