Jessica Mei Li (born 27 August 1995) is an English actress. She is best known for her starring role as the main character and protagonist Alina Starkov in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

fantasy series '' Shadow and Bone'' (2021–2023). She also played as Ellie in the 2025 Netflix film '' Havoc.''

Early life and education

Li was born in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

to an English mother and a Chinese father who was raised in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. She grew up in

Redhill, Surrey Redhill () is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead within the county of Surrey, England. The town, which adjoins the town of Reigate to the west, is due south of London Borough of Croydon, Croydon in ...

and has an older brother. Li attended

Reigate College Reigate College is a state sixth form college, college in Reigate, Surrey, England, for students aged 16–19. The college occupies part of the town centre between the High Street and Reigate railway station, railway station. Reigate College wa ...

from 2010 to 2012 and began studying French and Spanish at the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

, but eventually dropped out. For nearly two years, Li worked as a teaching assistant for children with special needs at

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

. Li joined the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and charity in London, created with the aim of developing young people's artistic skills via theatrical productions and other creative endeavours. Founded in 1956 as the world ...

in 2015 and trained part-time at Identity School of Acting from 2016 to 2017.

Career

Li made her professional stage debut in February 2019 playing the role of Claudia Casswell in ''

All About Eve ''All About Eve'' is a 1950 American Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on the 1946 short story (and subsequent 1949 radio drama) "The Wisdom of E ...

'' at Noël Coward Theatre, directed and adapted for the stage by Ivo van Hove, alongside Gillian Anderson and Lily James. In October 2019, it was announced Li would star in the lead role of Alina Starkov in the 2021

series '' Shadow and Bone'', an adaptation of Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse fantasy book series '' Shadow and Bone'' and '' Six of Crows''. 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. However, during the audition process, Li observed 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." Li appears as Lara Chung in Edgar Wright's 2021 film '' Last Night in Soho''.

Personal life

Li uses she/her and they/them pronouns, and identifies as gender nonconforming. Li was diagnosed with

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...

as an adult. Li has spoken on growing up with a lack of positive East Asian and biracial representation onscreen. Her conflict over her dual heritage was compounded when she began auditioning, where she noticed mixed-race roles would sometimes go to fully East Asian or white actors. In an April 2021 interview, Li emphasized the importance of nuanced portrayals of East Asians in media.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music video appearances

Stage

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Jessie Mei 1995 births 21st-century English actresses Actors from Redhill, Surrey Actresses from Brighton Actresses from Surrey Alumni of the Identity School of Acting English actors with disabilities English female taekwondo practitioners English film actresses English LGBTQ actors English people of Hong Kong descent English television actresses Living people National Youth Theatre members People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder English queer actresses 21st-century English sportswomen