Red Eye star Jing Lusi reveals the pressures to deliver with season 2 and the importance of being the series lead

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If someone says they had “a moment” at London’s Euston station, you’d probably think it was a frustrating experience involving trains. But for Jing Lusi, who plays DI Hana Li in ITV’s thrilling new series Red Eye, her “moment” at Euston was actually a happy one.

I distinctly remember seeing billboards for Trigger Point – the bomb disposal show with Vicky McClure – all over Waterloo station when it first came out. I even jokingly sent my producer a video of it, asking if we could achieve something similar. A year later, we were there ourselves, with our own billboards at Euston station. It was a really incredible feeling.

While seeing her face on billboards everywhere was strange – she admits it felt unreal, especially since she hadn’t anticipated it – what truly excited Lusi was the message it sent. The extensive marketing from ITV showed they believed in the show, which was a huge boost for her. She enjoyed making it so much that she felt successful even before anyone saw it, and any positive response beyond that was just a happy surprise.

It appears the broadcaster was right to be optimistic. Despite receiving somewhat varied feedback and debuting alongside the Apple TV thriller Hijack – which also took place on a plane, had a larger budget, and starred Idris Elba – Red Eye proved to be successful.

Because Red Eye was so successful, Lusi’s biggest bonus was getting to make a second series. Her executive told her, “Now you need to prove you can do it again. You’ve had one big success, and now you have to follow it up.” And Lusi agreed – the pressure was on to deliver another hit.

Lusi is clearly thrilled with how the new series turned out and says achieving the lead role in the show has been a dream come true. She explains that, like most actors, she’s always wanted to be a lead, and she’s spent her career learning from incredible performers like Constance Wu, Gal Gadot, and Rowan Atkinson. She’s taken those lessons – not just about acting, but about creating a positive atmosphere on set – and used them to confidently lead the show and become the actor she always aspired to be.

Lusi, the show’s main character, is of East Asian descent. She was born in China and moved to the UK with her parents at age five, eventually settling in Southampton. It’s been unusual to see a lead in a popular, ongoing TV drama who isn’t white, unless the show specifically focuses on race or life in multicultural Britain.

Several shows stand out for featuring strong Black British leads. These include Luther, with Idris Elba, and Killing Eve, starring Sandra Oh. Back in 2004, BBC One’s Hustle, a show about con artists, was led by Adrian Lester. Lennie James was the lead in the first series of Line of Duty, but he didn’t return for subsequent seasons.

Recently, there’s been a shift in how Lusi is perceived, coinciding with her roles in shows like DI Ray, Ellis, and Red Eye. Having previously discussed the significance of representation, she’s now stepping back from feeling obligated to be its voice. “I talked about it a lot when promoting the first season and I’m glad I did, but I’ve decided to let go of that responsibility,” she explains. Lusi is soon beginning work on a new political comedy drama created by Stephen Moffat, titled Number 10.

You know, Benedict Wong has been so great to me throughout all of this, and he gave me some really solid advice. He basically told me to just be myself and not try to take on too much – that if I did, it would actually make things worse. It really hit me then that as an actor, I shouldn’t be worrying about all of this extra stuff; it’s just beyond my role.

As a big fan of the show, I was really glad to hear Lusi talk about how they’re handling her character in the second series. She explained that the first series made Hana’s British-Chinese background a really important part of the story, which was fantastic. But now, with a new mystery, they’re letting Hana just be Hana – a cop, and a person – and Lusi feels like she can just focus on playing her authentically. It’s a smart approach, and honestly, it’s refreshing to see.

Authors

Gareth McLean

Gareth McLean is a seasoned television writer with almost three decades of experience. He’s reviewed countless programs as a critic and interviewed hundreds of notable figures, ranging from Liza Minnelli to Jimmy Savile. He’s also worked as a writer for television shows themselves.

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2025-12-29 20:52