- I think what I love about fantasy shows in general
is that you can explore, through allegory,
so many different, so many different themes.
But I also love that even just in talking about it, in some
of these interviews, you realize there are themes
you didn't even see there in the first place.
- You won't believe me
but this was a Sun Summoner.
- It's a show, a fantasy show, set
in a world called the Grishaverse
that's similar to our own in some ways, but different
in that there are some people who have magic powers
to control the elements.
We meet Alina Starkov, who is a map maker in the army
and her country, Ravka, is split in two by this
enormous expanse of shadow called the Shadow Fold.
East Ravka is essentially imprisoned.
So it was up to Alina when she discovers
that she has this magical power
to summon sunlight to destroy the fold.
- She's real.
- It's all prequel material
to the "Six of Crows" duology.
So we were essentially working backwards.
You know, we were tracing our steps back
to the pilot episode and sort of
we have to find out who those people are
and plot the journey to the start of "Six of Crows,"
which is really sort of exciting
because it's like working in reverse.
Kaz, Inej, and Jesper are misfits
in this city full of misfits.
And, you know, they find
that they have a sort of found family
in each other and it's a, you know,
definitely a theme that's in our storyline
and then in the "Shadow and Bone" storyline, as well,
because, you know, where does Alina fit?
Where should she be?
Should she be with Mal?
Should she be at the Little Palace?
It's like kind of that idea of "Where do I belong?"
and having a found family was something
that struck me as I read the books.
- [Archie] Something that's not that well described
in the books because it's from Alina's point of view,
we don't really know what's going on with Mal's journey.
And in the series, though, we see that.
We see what he goes through. We see, like, what he loses.
- [Kit] Jesper is a symbol within the world
for mixed race Black people, but it doesn't represent
an oppressed people because in our world
we don't set up the fact that Black people
are necessarily oppressed.
They are from a different nation
which has Novyi Zem, and it's a strong power.
They're the ones that brought in the revolver pistol.
So, you know, it's,
it's an interesting kind of thing to just have these facts.
And similarly with Jesper being LGBTQ,
like, it's not something to be hidden or it's not commented
on as something that is special in any way or a novelty.
It's just people are who they are,
and in a way, not making the comment is making the comment,
that's like, "These are normal things.
Take them as read and everyone needs
to be accepted for who they are."
- You know, it's not colorblind casting.
All of the characters are cast, you know,
in relation to where they come from.
You know, this a diverse world.
But at the same time, the...it sort of feels incidental.
You know, Alina is the protagonist
but she also just happens to be mixed race.
You know, Inej is this amazing assassin, you know, acrobat.
- [Amita] I really wanted to find the journey
of Inej because the journey that she's been
through and the choices that she's had to make
and the alliances that she's had to make
and the things that she's had to break
within herself, as well, to kind of get where she is
by "Six of Crows," I think it's such a beautiful
and engaging part of her.
- In the end, even though these people are blessed
with extraordinary skillsets, it's about identity
and who these people are and where they've come from
and what they, what they really want and where they fit in.
You can find yourself in these characters.
- I hope that there are, you know, young teenage, mixed race
or Asian or anyone, really, who can see this character who
doesn't know where she belongs
and start to realize where she belongs
and feel sort of inspired and represented by that.