Mei Mac

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Mei Mac
Born1992 (age 32–33)
Birmingham, England

Mei Mac (born 1992 [1] ) is a British actress and theatre maker. For her performance in the stage adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro , she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award.

Contents

Early life

Mac was born in Birmingham to a working-class Hong Kong immigrant family. [2] She initially intended to study medicine at university. [3] At 16, she was inspired to pursue acting by artistic director Kumiko Mendl of the New Earth Theatre, of which Mac is now an associate. [4]

Career

Stage

Mac's first theatre role was in the role of San in Whole Hog Theatre's stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke . [5] Studio Ghibli head and director of the original movie Hayao Miyazaki said of Mac's performance: "I've never imagined San as a real-life human being, but if she did exist, it would be you." [2]

In August 2022, it was announced Mac would play the lead role of Mei in the Royal Shakespeare Company's staging of another Studio Ghibli movie, My Neighbour Totoro . [6] The play opened at the Barbican to positive reviews. [7] Mac's performance earned her a WhatsOnStage Award nomination for Best Performer in a Play, [8] and an Olivier Awards nomination for Best Actress. [9]

In May 2023 Mac appeared as Juliet, alongside Ncuti Gatwa's Romeo, as part of the Coronation Concert [10] and starred in Kimber Lee's untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play, in the Royal Exchange, Manchester and Young Vic in London. [11]

In 2025, Mac was announced as part of the cast of Dracula at Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith). [12]

Television

Mac has appeared in the long-running BBC drama Call the Midwife, [13] and in the Comedy Central sketch show East Mode. [14]

In 2024 it was announced she would join the cast of the Doctor Who spin-off series, The War Between the Land and the Sea . [15]

Personal life

Mac is openly queer. [16] During lockdown, she co-founded Rising Waves, a collective for British East and Southeast Asian (BESEA) artists. [17]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2023 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actress My Neighbour Totoro Nominated
2023 WhatsOnStage Awards Best Performer in a PlayMy Neighbour TotoroNominated [18]

References

  1. ↑ Crompton, Sarah (19 November 2023). "Actor Mei Mac: 'I gave a piece of my soul to My Neighbour Totoro'". The Guardian . Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Mei Mac Recreates Anime Magic On The Barbican Stage In 'My Neighbour Totoro'". British Vogue. 2022-11-19. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  3. ↑ Bosanquet, Theo (22 October 2022). "'My Neighbour Totoro' Star Mei Mac on How a Workshop Led to a Lead Role". Backstage. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  4. ↑ Lo, Zabrina (21 October 2022). "Hong Kong British Actress Champions Representation in 'My Neighbour Totoro'". Tatler Asia. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  5. ↑ Tanaka, Nobuko (2013-04-19). "U.K. stage group to rework 'Mononoke' magic". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  6. ↑ "Complete My Neighbour Totoro stage company announced ahead of world premiere | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  7. ↑ "Did the critics have an animated reaction to My Neighbour Totoro? | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  8. ↑ "Nominations in full: the 23rd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  9. ↑ Marshall, Alex (2023-02-28). "'My Neighbour Totoro' Dominates Olivier Award Nominations". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  10. ↑ "Stars including Take That and Kermit the Frog put on a night to remember at spectacular Coronation Concert". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
  11. ↑ "Mei Mac set to star in untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play". WhatsOnStage.com . 9 May 2023.
  12. ↑ https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/dracula-cast-including-umi-myers-and-mei-mac-revealed-by-lyric-hammersmith-theatre_1685944/
  13. ↑ Wiegand, Chris (2023-01-03). "It's showtime! Stage sensations to watch out for in 2023". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  14. ↑ Bennett, Steve. "Comedy Central orders Nigel Ng sketch show : News 2022 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle.co.uk . Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  15. ↑ Cormack, Morgan (10 October 2024). "Doctor Who spin-off casts Line of Duty and Gentleman Jack stars". RadioTimes. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  16. ↑ Iftikhar, Asyia (5 November 2022). "My Neighbour Totoro's Mei Mac on the queer magic of Studio Ghibli and her 'fight' for representation". Pink News. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  17. ↑ Mukhtar, Amel (19 November 2022). "Mei Mac Recreates Anime Magic On The Barbican Stage In My Neighbour Totoro". British Vogue. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  18. ↑ "The 23rd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards – full list of winners". 2023-02-12. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
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