A leather-clad Mazikeen, portrayed by Lesley-Ann Brandt, lounges in Dr Linda’s office. Her toned arms are stretched over the back of the couch as she rolls her eyes and starts, “I’m stuck in a place I don’t belong...” She pauses, as if nauseated, then says, “I need to figure out how to be... normal.” This moment in the 10th episode of urban fantasy series Lucifer’s first season marked the start of the demon’s journey to assimilate on Earth among humans. In fact, countless fans found themselves more compelled by Mazikeen, or Maze, than by the suave Lucifer.
The Lesley-Ann I meet on Skype, as she makes her way through Los Angeles on a sunny morning, is equally compelling. The South African-born actor is prepped for the release of season four of the Netflix show (saved from the axe of their former network, FOX). When the cancellation was announced last May, a social media campaign #SaveLucifer was launched by fans who weren’t ready to let go of the show based on the DC Comics series in which Lucifer (Tom Ellis) and his ally Mazikeen are sent to live among humans.
Still of Lesley-Ann Brandt, Tom Ellis, Inbar Lavi and D B Woodside in season 4 of Netflix’s ‘Lucifer’ | Photo Credit: John P. Fleenor/Netflix
Finding ground
“That’s what’s changed the most in our industry and it’s due to the Internet. For a long time, Hollywood gave people what they thought they wanted. Now we see a lot more film and television representative of its audience. On a network show, it was hard for us because our tone was so quirky and it’s a show about the Devil,” says Brandt. That said, she agrees Netflix offers a wilder playground to enliven the plot lines. Promos for the show have breathed a bloodier, darker life into the show while still retaining Lucifer’s somewhat whimsical nature.
- Those familiar with the DC Comics universe will know Mazikeen (created by Neil Gaiman and Kelley Jones) as one of Lilith’s children, and one of Lucifer Morningstar’s devoted allies. In Jewish mythology, Mazikeen is the name of an invisible demon with a salacious penchant for destruction and chaos. Fans of the much darker Gotham will have seen Brandt play ruthless assassin Larissa Diaz aka Copperhead in season two. In video game Batman: Arkham Origins, Copperhead was modelled into a woman, a recreation which continued through to Gotham, which Brandt found a delight portraying.
The 37-year-old shares she drew on real life experiences to play Mazikeen. “Season one was really about her feeling displaced and wanting to go back home. I felt those things. No one understood my accent in New Zealand and it’s such a different culture. For two years, I didn’t like being there; I was 18 and I struggled to find my tribe.”
In motion
Tracking Maze’s arc over the series so far has season two showing her acclimatising to life in the human world and season three, her figuring out relationships and their difficulties. Brandt shares that the fourth season — which will see Lucifer meeting his first love, the seductive yet manipulative Eve (Inbar Lavi) — is also about “finding her person”. “Maze’ll never stop being a demon, and she is a pansexual demon who doesn’t care if you’re trans, man or woman. Like me, I don’t stop being a South African. There are certain personality traits — like my humour, which is very African — which don’t change,” she says. “Maze has a phenomenal ability to evolve. If she needs to go back to ‘old school Maze’ and throw some daggers around, she’s there in a split second. She’s incredibly intelligent, too.” Recently, Brandt called for the right portrayal and better visibility of LGBTQIA+ relationships which are “often very sexualised and pornographic.”
Maze’s is obvious and social media comments often read, “We want Maze to have her own show!” When I ask her, she bursts out laughing. “I love our show and if I was blessed to take this character for an opportunity to tell her story, I’ll welcome it with open arms. I love Maze; she’s like a second skin.”
Lesley-Ann Brandt on Netflix’s ‘Lucifer’ | Photo Credit: John P. Fleenor/Netflix
Power play
In the series, Lucifer takes a progressive approach in shaping female characters and Maze is one of the pioneering personas. Had the show been written 10 years ago, it might not even have been on-air, says the mother of one. “There’s something about Maze that’s very child-like. She is unapologetic about who she likes and dislikes. You may have also seen her tough side — she has been presented as more complex and upfront about what she wants,” says Brandt, who is on the cover of Women’s Health South Africa’s May 2019 issue — nude, her Africa tattoo visible on her left side.
But it’s not just Lucifer that is keeping Brandt busy; she’s got prison drama Heartlock coming out soon. She plays a correctional officer who falls under the spell of an inmate, but the story is more complex. “In the US, there are more female correctional officers than male, because women have better negotiating skills. The role required me to look into ‘ducking’ where prisoners groom a CO into giving special treatment. Often these cases evolve into a sexual relationship. My character then battles with being free but also not.”
Still of Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) and Mazikeen (Lesley-Ann Brandt)
Has playing Maze for four years brought out anything in her she didn’t know she had? She chuckles, “Well, given the state of the presidency [in the US], I’ve definitely thought of ways to torture someone... Becoming a mother and expanding my family, my loyalties don’t waver. Maze has also taught me to take the path less travelled, even if it’s not popular.”
Season 4 of Lucifer is streaming on Netflix