Lingering at home for a courier delivery can be one of life’s minor vexations – depending on what’s inbound, of course. In Misia Butler’s case, one morning around 10 am, the promise of a parcel wasn’t even on the cards – rather it was a menial process linked to an acting project he’d been auditioning for that saw him tied to the house. “My agent said a courier was coming on a bike to get me to sign an NDA in person,” the actor tells us. At least that’s what he thought – “I’m actually so gullible, so I had no concept that this might be weird and just went with it.”

Instead, 15 minutes later, he found his agent there himself, gourmet croissants and a bottle of Champagne in tow. The grounds for cracking open the bubbles at such an hour? Butler had just bagged a separate role, one he’d been dreaming of, in mythological dark-comedy triumph, Kaos – released yesterday on Netflix. Led by screen icon Jeff Goldblum no-less, Charlie Covell’s modern-day transposition of Greek Mythology has already had critics swooning for its dexterous composition – a melange of wit, fantasy, drama and masterful character development.

Butler assumes the role of Caeneus, often referred to as one of the world’s first trans heroes, as the daughter of Elatus who was born a girl but transformed into a man to seek protection from male violence. As a trans actor, getting to embodysuch a role within that realm of TV was a draw for Butler. “I think it’s beautiful to be able to read our experiences in stories stretching back millennia,” he says.

Despite a string of TV credits already under his belt, Kaos looks set to mark an introduction to audiences of seismic proportions for the screen ascendant. A few weeks shy of the show’s premiere, he sat down with Man About Town to talk being a Greek mythology nerd, working with Goldblum, the workshop uplifting trans actors that catalysed his career, and which Sex Education character he thinks could slot in well to the Kaos fictional universe…

Hey Misia! You’re capping off August with a pretty sizeable milestone – starring in Netflix’s Kaos. However, if you could describe your summer, so far, in one sentence, what would you say?

I’d say Kaos would be very on-brand for my summer so far - it’s been chaotic, to say the least.
 

Kaos takes a modern look at Greek mythology, however, how was your Greek mythology knowledge before starting on the project? Did you have to do any revising? 
So, I think I might have been the Greek myths nerd of the cast. I actually had a place to study Classics at university a few years back but decided to jump ship and try the acting thing instead. Greek myths have been embedded in my psyche for as long as I can remember. I just grew up loving them. Reading the Kaos scripts at the audition stage, I was just giggling to myself at all the easter eggs and references. My character, especially, has been my favourite as I learnt about him in school, so to get to play him feels like such an honour.
 
You star as Caeneus, one of the three humans at the heart of the story. What did you learn from the character?
I think Caeneus is a lot braver than I am. I love how [the show’s writer], Charlie [Covell], wrote him as incredibly kind and empathetic but also heroic and surprisingly powerful for it. I think, often, kindness can come with the feeling of being walked over and not standing up for what you believe in but, throughout this series, Caeneus really finds his sense of self and voice and discovers he’s a lot stronger than he ever thought possible. I’m hoping I can find that in myself too.
 
We were interested to learn that Caeneus is often referred to as one of the world’s first trans heroes. How did you find approaching a role with such history as a trans actor?
I remember the first time I learnt about Caeneus, I read an extract of the Metamorphoses where he’s fighting some Centaurs. One starts goading him, saying he’s too weak to fight them because of his gender at birth, and he proceeds to stab him in the face. It was such an iconic shutdown and felt so empowering to read as a teenager struggling with my own sense of strength and identity.
 
What I love, as well, is there are so many different versions of these myths and, at their core, they were meant to be used as tools to explore ourselves and Charlie does such an amazing job of taking the characters from these ancient stories and layering them into something incredibly relatable and modern. Honestly, I still can’t quite believe I get to be a part of it.

Jeff Goldblum helms the role of Zeus, ruling over the world. What was on-set life with Jeff like? Did you learn any tips from such an acting veteran?
Not to spoil too much but I actually didn’t get to spend much time with Jeff on set. There are so many intricately woven threads in this show and we kind of exist on the two extremes, I’d say. Meeting him though, I was just so struck by his genuineness and presence. He was so kind about my scenes and went out of his way to address everyone around us by name. I think the main takeaway I had from this set, working with all kinds of wonderful people, was the importance of looking after each other and bringing compassion and empathy to everyone. It was such a supportive atmosphere. I felt very blessed.
 
Can you take us back to the historical origins of your own journey in acting – was there a moment when you realised that this is what you wanted to do?
To be honest, I don’t think I ever thought it would be possible. I think every actor probably calls themselves the “weird kid” but I really was. No one knew how to cast me in school plays or drama club, so I would mostly stand in the back or say a few lines here and there. It was only by doing a course, with Gendered Intelligence, that focused on training and uplifting trans actors that I got seen by casting directors and started my journey. I always loved telling stories and playing imaginary games as a kid though – and as a teenager – and I do think acting is just the closest thing I can get to do as an adult.
 
Finally, if you could transplant any existing fictional character into the world of Kaos, who would you pick?
I don’t know why but my first thought was Eric from Sex Education. I just think he would have the best reactions, but also weirdly kind of fit in. I could really see him being besties with Dionysus or Riddy for some reason…

Kaos is out now, exclusively on Netflix