Netflix is releasing a new fantasy series, and it’s time for another season of Behind the Scenes to get into how it all happens. This time, we’re diving head first into the epic world of Shadow and Bone. Starting April 28th, host Brandon Jenkins (Mogul; Complex) will sit down with the folks behind the scenes of the show. We’ll hear from showrunners and writers, actors and designers, special effects and more. Put on your shades because we’re summoning a lot of sun this season.
Netflix is releasing a new fantasy series, and it’s time for another season of Behind the Scenes to get into how it all happens. This time, we’re diving head first into the epic world of Shadow and Bone. Starting April 28th, host Brandon Jenkins (Mogul; Complex) will sit down with the folks behind the scenes of the show. We’ll hear from showrunners and writers, actors and designers, special effects and more. Put on your shades because we’re summoning a lot of sun this season.
Brandon Jenkins: Back in 2016, screenwriter Eric Heisserer was doing the awards circuit for his hit film Arrival. And he wanted a good book to keep him company.
Eric Heisserer: I reached out to a friend of mine and said, give me a book that I probably haven't heard of before. And he said, would you like to read Ocean's Eleven in a Game of Thrones universe? And I said, put that in my eyeballs right now.
Brandon Jenkins: That book was a fantasy adventure series by Leigh Bardugo.
Leigh Bardugo: I really didn't want Eric or the writers to approach this fearfully. You know, scared artists make bad art. And I wanted them to feel empowered to make bold decisions with the plot.
Brandon Jenkins: Now it’s the biggest new series from Netflix, Shadow and Bone.
General Kirigan: Do you know the only thing more powerful than you or me? The two of us together.
Brandon Jenkins: In this season of Behind the Scenes, we’re entering the Shadow Fold and diving into a world where people with magical abilities, called Grisha, can manipulate the elements. A breeze becomes a tornado, a heartbeat becomes a heart attack. And one character, Alina Starkov, can bring forth the power of the sun.
Baghra: Bring the light.
Brandon Jenkins: We’ll meet Jessie Mei Li, the actor who plays our hero Alina.
Jessie Mei Li: For Alina, certainly, her journey is all about belonging. And that's, you know, there are different facets to that as well, because it's about her finding her place, but also her finding her place within herself, which are two things I think are really important to, to being happy as a, as a person, as a human being.
Brandon Jenkins: And we welcome a band of actors who play a band of criminals.
Amita Suman: Hi, my name is Amita Suman, and I play Inej, an assassin with a conscience.
Kit Young: Hey, I’m Kit Young and I play Jesper. He's a sharpshooter and a gambler, gunslinger, and he can never walk away from a wager.
Freddy Carter: Hi, my name is Freddy Carter, I play Kaz Brekker, who is a rising star of the criminal underworld .
Brandon Jenkins: Meanwhile, actor Ben Barnes, who some of you might know as Prince Caspian, lets us in on how he's turning to the dark side for his role as General Kirigan.
Ben Barnes: Fine, make me a villain, and that was a very important line for me to hang my hat on, hang my coat on, hang my, hang my performance on, essentially.
Brandon Jenkins: Trust me, everyone on this show loves Ben.
Leigh Bardugo: Yes, the first thing I said to Ben Barnes was, "you smell expensive." He smells like a, like a luxury yacht on a winter night. Like he is just, he smells amazing.
Shelley Meals: Well, look, Ben Barnes is too talented to play a one dimensional villain, right? I mean, that would be a waste of everybody's time.
Brandon Jenkins: That includes actor Archie Renaux, who plays Mal Oretsev, Alina’s childhood best friend, a talented Ravkan Army tracker, and Kirigan’s rival-in-love.
Archie Renaux: Ben is like my mentor man, I love Ben, man, he’s like a big brother, man, he’s really helped me out in this acting game.
Brandon Jenkins: And of course, we’ll let you in on all the making-of stories. Like, how they imported pollen from Hong Kong to make fire balls the size of a small car.
Yves De Bono: Probably like the size of a mini. I would say two minis.
Brandon Jenkins: Or how they created a giant black wall of darkness called the Shadow Fold.
Ted Rae: What, what is it? You know, is it a wall of clouds? Is it a wall of black gelatin? How black is black?
Brandon Jenkins: And how baby goats don’t always make the best co-stars.
Kit Young: They were called Oguri and Booguri, which apparently means “running” and “jumping.” Those are the, those are the goat's names. What they really should have been called was “screaming” and “pooping.”
Brandon Jenkins: Behind The Scenes: Shadow and Bone premieres on April 28th. I’m your host, Brandon Jenkins. You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. So subscribe now, because you don’t want to miss this ship.
Alina Starkov: If it goes wrong?
Mal Oretsev: I’ll find my way back to you.