Superhero Universe
  • Entertainment
    DC FanDome Returning in October

    DC FanDome Returning in October

    Michael B. Jordan on ‘Without Remorse’ and Superman Rumors: “I’m Just Watching on This One”

    Michael B. Jordan on ‘Without Remorse’ and Superman Rumors: “I’m Just Watching on This One”

    ‘Tomorrow War’ Teaser: Chris Pratt Fights for the Future

    ‘Tomorrow War’ Teaser: Chris Pratt Fights for the Future

    ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal the Movie’ Coming to Netflix

    ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal the Movie’ Coming to Netflix

    Marvel’s ‘Ironheart’ Enlists Chinaka Hodge as Head Writer for Disney+ Series

    Marvel’s ‘Ironheart’ Enlists Chinaka Hodge as Head Writer for Disney+ Series

    Heavy Metal Magazine, Range Media Team to Produce Film, TV Based in Sci-Fi, Fantasy Space

    Heavy Metal Magazine, Range Media Team to Produce Film, TV Based in Sci-Fi, Fantasy Space

    DC Super Hero Girls and Teen Titans Go! Team Up for First-Ever Crossover Special (Exclusive)

    DC Super Hero Girls and Teen Titans Go! Team Up for First-Ever Crossover Special (Exclusive)

  • Games
    Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance Sees Life On PC For The First Time

    Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance Sees Life On PC For The First Time

    2022 Video Game Release Schedule

    2022 Video Game Release Schedule

    Scorn Breaks Its Silence With October 2022 Launch Window

    Scorn Breaks Its Silence With October 2022 Launch Window

    Sniper Elite 5 Brings X-Ray Brutality Back To WWII

    Sniper Elite 5 Brings X-Ray Brutality Back To WWII

    UPDATE: Raven Software Lays Off Members Of Its QA Team

    UPDATE: Raven Software Lays Off Members Of Its QA Team

    UPDATE: Fortnite Chapter 2 Has Reached The End, Watch The Event Full Here

    UPDATE: Fortnite Chapter 2 Has Reached The End, Watch The Event Full Here

    Halo Infinite Multiplayer: Here’s What’s You Can Unlock This Week

    Halo Infinite Multiplayer: Here’s What’s You Can Unlock This Week

  • Science

    Six and a Half Months in Orbit: Junk Food and Sublime Moments

    Six and a Half Months in Orbit: Junk Food and Sublime Moments

    NASA Snags Its First Asteroid Sample

    NASA Snags Its First Asteroid Sample

    The Bold Plan to See Continents and Oceans on Another Earth

    The Bold Plan to See Continents and Oceans on Another Earth

    Here’s How Scientists Mapped the Perseverance Rover’s Landing Site

    Here’s How Scientists Mapped the Perseverance Rover’s Landing Site

    People. Passion. Planets.

    People. Passion. Planets.

  • Tech

    A User-Focused Guide to Digital Library Use

    Nikon D500 Digital Camera Features

    Navigating the Global Circuit: Exploring Off-Shore PCB Manufacturing

    The Human Element: How Construction Estimators Can Thrive in the Age of Automation

    Migrate Oracle to MySQL

    3 Application Development Trends to Be Aware of in 2025

    How the Google Nest Wi-Fi Point and Router is Your Best Friend for 2025

  • Travel
    • Paris
    • Spain
    • New York
    • Singapore
    • Tokyo
  • Videos
  • Reviews
    Trap feels like a Shyamalan movie through and through — for better and worse

    Trap feels like a Shyamalan movie through and through — for better and worse

    The House of the Dragon season 2 finale is Westeros at its best and worst

    The House of the Dragon season 2 finale is Westeros at its best and worst

    The Rebel Moon director’s cut proves it’s franchise-worthy

    The Rebel Moon director’s cut proves it’s franchise-worthy

    Duck Detective: The Secret Salami takes the hard-boiled detective trope and makes it quack

    Duck Detective: The Secret Salami takes the hard-boiled detective trope and makes it quack

    We pushed this ChatGPT game to the limits, but playing it the right way is more fun

    We pushed this ChatGPT game to the limits, but playing it the right way is more fun

    Deadpool & Wolverine makes the MCU the villain — and not in a good way

    Deadpool & Wolverine makes the MCU the villain — and not in a good way

    Flock shows us a gentler (and smarter) approach to creature collecting

    Flock shows us a gentler (and smarter) approach to creature collecting

No Result
View All Result
Superhero Universe
  • Entertainment
    DC FanDome Returning in October

    DC FanDome Returning in October

    Michael B. Jordan on ‘Without Remorse’ and Superman Rumors: “I’m Just Watching on This One”

    Michael B. Jordan on ‘Without Remorse’ and Superman Rumors: “I’m Just Watching on This One”

    ‘Tomorrow War’ Teaser: Chris Pratt Fights for the Future

    ‘Tomorrow War’ Teaser: Chris Pratt Fights for the Future

    ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal the Movie’ Coming to Netflix

    ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal the Movie’ Coming to Netflix

    Marvel’s ‘Ironheart’ Enlists Chinaka Hodge as Head Writer for Disney+ Series

    Marvel’s ‘Ironheart’ Enlists Chinaka Hodge as Head Writer for Disney+ Series

    Heavy Metal Magazine, Range Media Team to Produce Film, TV Based in Sci-Fi, Fantasy Space

    Heavy Metal Magazine, Range Media Team to Produce Film, TV Based in Sci-Fi, Fantasy Space

    DC Super Hero Girls and Teen Titans Go! Team Up for First-Ever Crossover Special (Exclusive)

    DC Super Hero Girls and Teen Titans Go! Team Up for First-Ever Crossover Special (Exclusive)

  • Games
    Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance Sees Life On PC For The First Time

    Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance Sees Life On PC For The First Time

    2022 Video Game Release Schedule

    2022 Video Game Release Schedule

    Scorn Breaks Its Silence With October 2022 Launch Window

    Scorn Breaks Its Silence With October 2022 Launch Window

    Sniper Elite 5 Brings X-Ray Brutality Back To WWII

    Sniper Elite 5 Brings X-Ray Brutality Back To WWII

    UPDATE: Raven Software Lays Off Members Of Its QA Team

    UPDATE: Raven Software Lays Off Members Of Its QA Team

    UPDATE: Fortnite Chapter 2 Has Reached The End, Watch The Event Full Here

    UPDATE: Fortnite Chapter 2 Has Reached The End, Watch The Event Full Here

    Halo Infinite Multiplayer: Here’s What’s You Can Unlock This Week

    Halo Infinite Multiplayer: Here’s What’s You Can Unlock This Week

  • Science

    Six and a Half Months in Orbit: Junk Food and Sublime Moments

    Six and a Half Months in Orbit: Junk Food and Sublime Moments

    NASA Snags Its First Asteroid Sample

    NASA Snags Its First Asteroid Sample

    The Bold Plan to See Continents and Oceans on Another Earth

    The Bold Plan to See Continents and Oceans on Another Earth

    Here’s How Scientists Mapped the Perseverance Rover’s Landing Site

    Here’s How Scientists Mapped the Perseverance Rover’s Landing Site

    People. Passion. Planets.

    People. Passion. Planets.

  • Tech

    A User-Focused Guide to Digital Library Use

    Nikon D500 Digital Camera Features

    Navigating the Global Circuit: Exploring Off-Shore PCB Manufacturing

    The Human Element: How Construction Estimators Can Thrive in the Age of Automation

    Migrate Oracle to MySQL

    3 Application Development Trends to Be Aware of in 2025

    How the Google Nest Wi-Fi Point and Router is Your Best Friend for 2025

  • Travel
    • Paris
    • Spain
    • New York
    • Singapore
    • Tokyo
  • Videos
  • Reviews
    Trap feels like a Shyamalan movie through and through — for better and worse

    Trap feels like a Shyamalan movie through and through — for better and worse

    The House of the Dragon season 2 finale is Westeros at its best and worst

    The House of the Dragon season 2 finale is Westeros at its best and worst

    The Rebel Moon director’s cut proves it’s franchise-worthy

    The Rebel Moon director’s cut proves it’s franchise-worthy

    Duck Detective: The Secret Salami takes the hard-boiled detective trope and makes it quack

    Duck Detective: The Secret Salami takes the hard-boiled detective trope and makes it quack

    We pushed this ChatGPT game to the limits, but playing it the right way is more fun

    We pushed this ChatGPT game to the limits, but playing it the right way is more fun

    Deadpool & Wolverine makes the MCU the villain — and not in a good way

    Deadpool & Wolverine makes the MCU the villain — and not in a good way

    Flock shows us a gentler (and smarter) approach to creature collecting

    Flock shows us a gentler (and smarter) approach to creature collecting

No Result
View All Result
Superhero Universe
No Result
View All Result

by
27 April, 2021
in Entertainment
3.9k 39
0
1.6k
SHARES
12.6k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterPin it
1200x627 Get More Done, Together
ADVERTISEMENT


10:00 AM PDT 4/22/2021

by


Aaron Couch

The British actress, who shines as a light-wielding hero in the new Netflix sci-fi series, talks failed auditions before landing her starring role, aiming for action parts and her grandmother’s pride watching her trailers.

Just a few years ago, acting was far from Jessie Mei Li’s mind. She had dropped out of university at Reigate College in Surrey, England, and was working as a special-education teaching assistant when she decided to try a few acting classes. Li was instantly hooked. “I went to loads of open auditions [and] got rejected,” Li, 25, recalls with a laugh.

The British actress eventually landed an agent on the recommendation of a director from one of those failed auditions. Soon, she had a role on the West End in a production of All About Eve and a small role in Edgar Wright’s upcoming horror film Last Night in Soho.

Now she awaits her biggest stage yet with the April 23 debut of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone series, an adaptation of the popular fantasy books in which she gives a spirited, empathetic performance as Alina Starkov, a young woman with unique powers who’s thrust into the public spotlight and hailed as a savior. Li beat out hundreds of hopefuls for the role.

“So much of this is out of your control,” says Li of auditioning. “You can just go into that room and be yourself and show them what you can do with the words they’ve written. You might as well try and enjoy it.”

Playing a character who becomes famous has helped Li accept that she could be poised for fame too, should Shadow and Bone be a hit with Netflix’s 200 million global subscribers. “I don’t want to be famous. I don’t want to be a celebrity,” says Li. “Whatever people say about me on the internet, good or bad, you’ve got to take it with a pinch of salt and think, ‘This is their interpretation of who I am.’ “

To prep for Shadow and Bone, the actress trained for a month in Budapest with the stunt team behind Doctor Strange. They helped her develop special moves for deploying Alina’s powers — the character is able to summon light, an important skill in a world that’s partly shrouded in eternal darkness. “There’s something a little wild about it,” Li says of Alina’s movements. “It’s something that possibly, going forward, she will tame and refine.”

Li grew up watching martial arts movies with her dad and brother. She regrets that, in season one, Alina wasn’t too involved in the fight scenes but hopes that will change. She’d also enjoy pursuing a more action-oriented role in the future, perhaps something in the vein of a John Wick. “I’d love to do something very different from Shadow and Bone. A very different character,” says Li.

The actress, whose mother is British and father is Chinese, never expected to land her first big break in All About Eve because she was auditioning for Miss Caswell, the supporting role originally played by Marilyn Monroe in the 1950 film. But director Ivo van Hove had not seen the film and was not looking for someone reminiscent of Monroe. Says Li of winning that part, “It was a nice dipping-my-toe-in experience because I had a smaller role, which meant less responsibility, less pressure.”

It was while working on the 2019 play that she met Wright, who had directed her West End co-star Lily James in Baby Driver. Wright came to the play and later connected with Li at James’ birthday party. Soon she was cast in Last Night in Soho, due out Oct. 22.

For Li, the West End experience served her well in terms of learning to mingle with well-known actors and directors. “All the glitz and glamour is an abstract concept, which actually doesn’t exist,” says Li. “It was good for me just not being scared of meeting people or being intimidated.”

Li already has become well aware of the global footprint that Shadow and Bone will have, thanks to the reactions to the trailers, which reached her paternal grandmother in Canada. “They didn’t have Chinese subtitles on the trailer, but she was very excited and apparently was showing her hairdresser,” Li says with a laugh. “It’s been nice despite all the distance, that family on the other side of the world are able to get excited about it.”

This story first appeared in the April 21 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Next Post

10 of the best clubs in Paris – chosen by the experts

Related Posts

DC FanDome Returning in October
Entertainment

DC FanDome Returning in October

3 May, 2021
Michael B. Jordan on ‘Without Remorse’ and Superman Rumors: “I’m Just Watching on This One”
Entertainment

Michael B. Jordan on ‘Without Remorse’ and Superman Rumors: “I’m Just Watching on This One”

3 May, 2021
‘Tomorrow War’ Teaser: Chris Pratt Fights for the Future
Entertainment

‘Tomorrow War’ Teaser: Chris Pratt Fights for the Future

3 May, 2021
‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal the Movie’ Coming to Netflix
Entertainment

‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal the Movie’ Coming to Netflix

3 May, 2021
Marvel’s ‘Ironheart’ Enlists Chinaka Hodge as Head Writer for Disney+ Series
Entertainment

Marvel’s ‘Ironheart’ Enlists Chinaka Hodge as Head Writer for Disney+ Series

3 May, 2021
Heavy Metal Magazine, Range Media Team to Produce Film, TV Based in Sci-Fi, Fantasy Space
Entertainment

Heavy Metal Magazine, Range Media Team to Produce Film, TV Based in Sci-Fi, Fantasy Space

30 April, 2021
Next Post
10 of the best clubs in Paris – chosen by the experts

10 of the best clubs in Paris – chosen by the experts

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
‘Big Country’ Brings Western Noir to Comics

‘Big Country’ Brings Western Noir to Comics

25 November, 2019
The State of Planetary Defense

The State of Planetary Defense

28 October, 2019
How organisations can prevent external eavesdropping and influence through electromagnetic emissions

How organisations can prevent external eavesdropping and influence through electromagnetic emissions

28 October, 2019
The Bold Plan to See Continents and Oceans on Another Earth

The Bold Plan to See Continents and Oceans on Another Earth

28 May, 2020
The Most Chaotic Airports in the U.S.

The Most Chaotic Airports in the U.S.

0

0

0

0
The Most Chaotic Airports in the U.S.

The Most Chaotic Airports in the U.S.

1 May, 2025

A User-Focused Guide to Digital Library Use

6 April, 2025
The Best Frequent Flier Programs for 2025

The Best Frequent Flier Programs for 2025

3 April, 2025
Barcelona’s Tourist Tax: A Bold Move to Tackle Overtourism and Boost Local Revenue

Barcelona’s Tourist Tax: A Bold Move to Tackle Overtourism and Boost Local Revenue

27 March, 2025

Recommended

The Most Chaotic Airports in the U.S.

The Most Chaotic Airports in the U.S.

1 May, 2025

A User-Focused Guide to Digital Library Use

6 April, 2025
The Best Frequent Flier Programs for 2025

The Best Frequent Flier Programs for 2025

3 April, 2025
Barcelona’s Tourist Tax: A Bold Move to Tackle Overtourism and Boost Local Revenue

Barcelona’s Tourist Tax: A Bold Move to Tackle Overtourism and Boost Local Revenue

27 March, 2025

About Us

Get the latest news and reviews on games, science, technology, and entertainment

Categories

  • Entertainment
  • Games
  • New York
  • Paris
  • Reviews
  • Science
  • Singapore
  • Spain
  • Tech
  • Tokyo
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
No Result
View All Result
  • Entertainment
  • Games
  • Science
  • Tech
  • Travel
    • Paris
    • Spain
    • New York
    • Singapore
    • Tokyo
  • Videos
  • Reviews

© 2019 SuperheroUniverse.com

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In