Mei Mac | |
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Born | July 1992 Birmingham, England |
Mei Mac (born July 1992) 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.
Mac was born in Birmingham to a working-class Hong Kong immigrant family.[1] She initially intended to study medicine at university.[2] 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.[3]
Mac's first theatre role was in the role of San in Whole Hog Theatre's stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke.[4] 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."[1]
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.[5] The play opened at the Barbican to positive reviews.[6] Mac's performance earned her a WhatsOnStage Award nomination for Best Performer in a Play,[7] and an Olivier Awards nomination for Best Actress.[8]
In May 2023 Mac appeared as Juliet, alongside Ncuti Gatwa's Romeo, as part of the Coronation Concert[9] and starred in Kimber Lee's untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play, in the Royal Exchange, Manchester and Young Vic in London.[10]
Mac has appeared in the long-running BBC drama Call the Midwife,[11] and in the Comedy Central sketch show East Mode.[12]
Mac is openly queer.[13] During lockdown, she co-founded Rising Waves, a collective for British East and Southeast Asian (BESEA) artists.[14]
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
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2023 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Actress | My Neighbour Totoro | Nominated |
2023 | WhatsOnStage Awards | Best Performer in a Play | My Neighbour Totoro | Nominated[15] |