Misia Butler On Kaos: ‘Playing Caneus Felt Unbelievable’

Causing a stir on Netflix is Charlie Covell’s brand new series, Kaos, with Jeff Goldblum at the fore. Bringing ancient mythology bang up to date, this dark comedy reimagines the Greek gods – and their many squabbles – in the modern day. Zeus (Goldblum) is wracked with paranoia when he notices a wrinkle on his forehead, while Dionysus (Nabhaan Rizwan) runs wild on earth and Poseidon (Cliff Curtis) cares more for his super yacht than any family politics – god forbid the fate of mere mortals.

But the mortals are starting to notice their gods’ disdain. One of them is Caneus (Misia Butler), whose life, it transpires, is cosmically connected to Zeus and the fate of Earth. In Greek mythology, Caneus is the daughter of Elatus who transforms into a man as means of protection from sexual assault – and trans actor Misia brings a special power to this role. Caneus is ‘such an underrepresented character from the myths but such a badass,’ Misia tells C&TH. ‘I only hope I do him justice.’

We sat down with Misia to talk all things Caneus, Kaos and what’s next.

Photography By Pip, Styling by Nathan Henry, Grooming by Sven Bayerbach at Carol Hayes Management using Daimon Barber

Interview: Misia Butler

Hi Misia, how’s life going at the moment?

I’m well! Can’t complain.

You can now be seen in Kaos on Netlfix – can you give us an elevator pitch for the show?

I’d probably sum it up as: a darkly comic epic of modernised Greek myths. And Jeff Goldblum as Zeus. What more do you need?

You play Caneus – can you describe them? What was it like playing them?

Caneus is a bit of a dark horse I think. Keeps to himself, does his own thing, but just gets caught up in this bigger conspiracy that goes all the way to the top – i.e. Olympus. A bit of a reluctant hero.

Honestly, playing Caneus felt unbelievable. I’ve been an ancient myths nerd since I was a kid and I remember learning about him at school and just becoming obsessed. He’s such an underrepresented character from the myths but such a badass. I only hope I do him justice.

How does it feel to be playing a trans character?

I feel very privileged as a trans person to have had the opportunity to play both roles that do and don’t involve that aspect of my identity. With Caneus, I feel even more privileged to get to explore such a delicately written character whose transness is integrated so well that it’s never tokenised.

How did it feel when you got the role?

Unreal. My agent tricked me into thinking I was receiving an NDA by courier to sign and turned up with a bottle of fizz and pastries at 10am. I had a bit of a cry and then had to go on a long walk to calm the jitters. Charlie also gave me the loveliest call welcoming me to the show – I think I still have the screenshot of the notification on my phone!

How did you get into character/prepare for the role?

I had a lot of discussions with Charlie and Georgi about Caneus’ past and how it influences his actions when we meet him. Charlie has been a genius weaving together different familiar and unfamiliar myths, and I think we get a particularly beautiful exploration of that with Caneus and where he comes from in Kaos.

Any stand out moments from rehearsals or filming?

I do remember a group of us sneaking onto set whilst they were filming Orpheus performing his gig scene and just being blown away. It was shot in the incredible Plaza de Espana in Seville and had these gorgeous huge set pieces. I was so overwhelmed by it all, I just sobbed by the monitor.

Misia Butler as Caeneus in KAOS. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024

What has been your favourite project to date?

Oh, Kaos. Hands down.

Any roles in the pipeline that you’re excited about? (If you’re allowed to tell us!)

Nothing I can say yet, but excited to share in the future!

Who has been your favourite actor to work with in the past?

The list is endless but, if I had to choose, it would probably be Tessa Peake Jones. She played my mum in my first ever play and was just endlessly warm, kind and loving. She made me feel so safe and comforted throughout the whole process and really did feel like a surrogate mother for the tour.

Which co-star did you learn the most from?

Again, so hard to choose but it might have to be Rosie Cavaliero. She was such a dream to work with and is just a comedic genius. There are so many takes where I’m barely holding it together as the directors just let her play. An inspiration honestly.

What’s your dream role?

Can’t say Caneus, can I? Scary to think I might have peaked already…

What’s a genre you’ve never tried that you’d love to do?

I’d love to do a Horror. Probably something psychological too. Just mess me up, honestly.

How do you find balance in your personal and work lives?

It’s tough I think, especially when you’re starting out and would drop anything if an opportunity came up. There’s a lot of waiting and struggling to cement big plans or routines when your schedule is so up in the air. But I think I’m getting better at accepting that change is inevitable and it’s OK if plans have to fall through. I’ve also got such a wonderful network of loved ones who understand that and are super adaptable.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

An ancient Greek demigod mostly.

If you could give advice to your 15-year-old self, what would it be? 

Keep playing. It’s your power.

How can we all live a little bit better?

Listening, truly listening to everything around us.

Photography By Pip, Styling by Nathan Henry, Grooming by Sven Bayerbach at Carol Hayes Management using Daimon Barber

Misia Butler Recommends…

I’m currently watching… Fallout on Prime

What I’m reading… Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. Highly, highly recommend.

The last thing I watched (and loved) was… Extraordinary on Disney+. So underrated.

What I’m most looking forward to seeing… Really interested to see Cuckoo with Hunter Schafer.

Favourite film of all time… That’s impossible! No! Ahhh! Maybe Tomboy by Celine Sciamma. Or She’s the Man.

Favourite song of all time… I guess I’ll go with ‘Go Your Own Way’ by Fleetwood Mac – but this is cruel.

Musician I always have on repeat… Recently, it’s been Johnny Flynn. Especially his stuff with Robert MacFarlane – just think it’s fab.

My ultimate cultural recommendation… Kaos?

Cultural guilty pleasure… Trying not to be guilty about things I like anymore, but I’m still working through owning my chick flick obsession…

WATCH

Misia Butler stars as Caneus in Kaos. All episodes are streaming now on Netflix. netflix.com