Mei Mac

Mei Mac (born 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.

Early life

Mac was born in Birmingham to a working-class Hong Kong immigrant family. She was a pupil at King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, where she has described to have “a thriving arts culture”. She initially intended to study medicine at university. 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.

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. 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."

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. The play opened at the Barbican to positive reviews. Mac's performance earned her a WhatsOnStage Award nomination for Best Performer in a Play, and an Olivier Awards nomination for Best Actress.

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

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

Television

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

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.

Personal life

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

Awards and nominations

External links

• at IMDb