Kit Young Takes Fans of ‘Shadow and Bone’ Into the Fold | Fan Expo Canada

The fantastical world of Shadow and Bone introduced binge-watchers to a group of thieving criminals called The Crows.

And just as Jesper Fahey’s first heist was memorable, Kit Young’s first convention experience was an exciting opportunity for fans to dive deeper into the Grishaverse lore with a star of the show.

Young, who portrays the iconic sharpshooter on Netflix’s hit fantasy series, brought the excitement of the Fold to Fan Expo Canada: Limited Edition; discussing everything from the coolest scenes in the books to the cast’s close bond to the goats.

Want even more Shadow and Bone content? Check out our full interview with Kit Young, and don’t forget to read our review of Shadow and Bone Season 1 right here.

With a story as expansive as Shadow and Bone and characters as rich as Jesper, the desire is to embrace this world is impalpable. However, Young resisted the urge to dive into the source material until he secured a place in the Grishaverse.

I hadn’t read the books until I got the job because I didn’t want to read them, absolutely fall in love with the world, and then not get it — like that would be too heartbreaking!”

“I was the last person they cast, to the point where when I arrived in Budapest, they had all of the heads of the actors on the wall but there was like the empty Facebook profile under Jesper. So it was like I was an unlockable character in a game,” Young recalled.

“It feels special to be a part of the beginning of something when they’re still setting up the world. I get to be part of the discussions where we discover what Ketterdam looks like, and how we portray that.”

Jesper’s love of conflict was especially exciting to him. “Jesper can never back down, he loves a fight. That was one of the great things that unlocked the character for me when reading the book is that he truly comes alive when the bullets start flying.”

Stand-Out Scenes of Season 1:

When adapting a book series, there is pressure to nail crucial scenes. For Young, shooting the introduction of The Crows was certainly one with the most build-up.

“There were scenes that surprised me in the shooting that meant a lot, and scenes I was building up to,” Young noted. “The scene where we meet The Crows, there was a lot of build-up to that because that was the first viewing of Ketterdam, of the Crows Club. It introduces Jesper and Kaz within one page — so there was a lot going on.”

“Just that intro where it’s Jesper at the table, there’s so much you learn in those small moments and we had to nail that. The director decided I should lean back with my foot on the table, but you can’t actually do that when you have guns. They built me a chair that lies back, so I could do all the stuff that is Jesper — and that felt special.”

“Then Kaz comes in with a cane and Freddy and I look at each other like ‘Is this real?'”

As for the scene that surprised him, Young revealed how a light moment of banter between Inej and Jesper became something deeper.

“There’s a scene in Episode 7 where Amita and I have a heart-to-heart as she’s stitching her wounds. There’s a line where she says ‘I’ll miss you,’ and I go, ‘I know, I’d miss me too. I’m fantastic.’ That scene felt very jokey,” Young explained. “She was freezing because it was -6 celsius. You can see in the scene my nose is very red.”

“Then we did it. The scene felt very emotional because these characters may never see each other again and it was the end of our shoot. It felt like we might never do this again — if people don’t watch it, this could be it. So a lot of the emotion within that is real. That one was special because it was a surprise.”

When it comes to the scene that stands out the most from the sharpshooter’s time in the Grishaverse, there was no contest.

“Obviously Jesper and Milo on the train, like come on! Those episodes came through and I got a text from Jessie. 15 minutes later I got a text from Amita, Freddy, and Ben, asking if I had read it and I was like ‘no why?’ and they’re like ‘goat!’”

“We shot that for three days in a box with four people, real fire, a goat, and guns. I can die happy — I can achieve nothing else in my career and that will be a highlight.”

Exploring the Books:

Shadow and Bone is a long way from exploring the Six of Crows duology. That didn’t stop fans from asking Young what aspects of the series he would like to explore on screen. As a fan of the books himself, the actor didn’t hold back.

“I said this before in a couple of interviews, but there’s a scene in Crooked Kingdom that at the time Leigh Bardugo, the amazing author, said was her favorite to write. It’s a fight between Kaz and Jesper when their friendship is at a breaking point.”

“It would be great for us to explore and it’s so different from the relationship that Freddy and I have. We want to go there and dig deep because it’s so rich,” Young expressed. “It would also be great to meet Wylan — like I’m the only Crow that doesn’t have a person yet. Can we sort that out please?”

When asked if there was another character from the books he would have originally wanted to explore, Young was adamant Jesper was that character for him. However, he was quick to point out there isn’t a bad seed in this murder of crows.

“Those six characters are so well written, that I think most readers fall in love with all of them. The one I am fascinated by is Kaz. You question yourself as a reader being able to back someone who has such a terrible motive but you understand why. I’m also fascinated by the really dark, there are two chapters of Pekka Rollins and I want more!”

A Close Cast of Characters:

The most endearing aspect of The Crows throughout the first season was their comradery, and as it turns out the cast were just as close offscreen as they are onscreen.

“We are genuinely such a close cast. When we arrived in Budapest, there were six of us — Jessie, Archie, Ben, Freddy, Amita, and me. We were there a month before shooting to do costumes, stunt training, all this cool stuff. We got close because we didn’t know anyone and we couldn’t navigate Budapest alone, so we grew together and became a family.”

And because much of the cast is London-based, Young explained, there’s always an opportunity to meet up with his fellow crows for a potential heist.

“Count the number of times Freddy and I have done lunch, you’ll be a millionaire. It’s a lot — it’s almost weekly,” he confirmed. “Everyone’s like ‘Are they planning a heist?’ and it’s like ‘No, we’re ordering scrambled eggs. We’re not nearly as cool as you think.’”

Being a Fan:

This may be Young’s first convention experience, but the actor is no stranger to being a fan. “I was at the perfect age growing up for Harry Potter. That was the one where I was collecting stuff and I did the whole nine yards. I was a Star Wars kid, I was everything!”

His own love for fandoms means the loyalty of the Shadow and Bone fans and their passion for this project were never lost on the cast.

“People who were already fans of the books were watching our Instagram stories and it was like they were with us. The fandom has been amazing,” Young insisted.

“Some of you have been with us since the day we were announced, and the support of the fandom means we get to keep doing this. This is a two-way street. Without you, we don’t do this and we do this for you, so you’ll watch. It’s this beautiful thing. So, thank you because this is it — this is the embodiment of our love for this stuff.”

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Shadow and Bone: Kit Young Discusses the Grishaverse, Gunslinging, and Goats [Interview]