[Interview] Mimî M. Khayisa Is Heading Home, Starring In Royal Court Theatre Production 'A Good House'

She’s heading home in more ways than one. Mimî M. Khayisa is best known for her role in the hit Netflix series The Witcher, where she has played Fringilla Vigo since the show’s initial season. Khayisa has been acting since she was 12 years old. After being removed from her school’s drama programme for “talking too much,” her parents ensured she found a different space to express herself. Over the last ten years, she has made appearances in various British hits such as Doctor Who and Mr. Selfridge. A decade into her career, she’s hungrier than ever, pursuing work that intrigues her thematically and challenges her from a craft standpoint. She now stars in the British production of A Good House, written by Amy Jephta and directed by Nancy Medina—a comedy set in the fictional neighbourhood of Stillwater in Cape Town, where two new residents are pressured to lead the charge against a bizarre new inconvenience. With strong ties to her South African heritage, she now has the chance to bring the specificities of that part of the world to the city she grew up in.

Credits: Photographer - Jemima Marriott Styling - Prue Fisher Make up - Joy Adenuga

New Wave sat down with her to talk about her career so far and what it means to do work that hits closer to home.

How does it feel coming back to the theatre as a performer?

I love the stage. I haven’t been on it since 2018, for Hamlet with the RSC, pre-lockdown days, when I felt like a different person. Because I trained for stage theatre, coming back always feels like a bit of re-training. I have to brush off all the technical bits of being an actor, like voice work. But it also very much feels like home, where I can be the most expressive because, once the lights are down, no one stops until the end.

What’s changed since 2018?

You just do a lot of growing, don’t you? A lot of evolving. Life experiences have changed the way I approach my work. Being in the industry now for about ten years comes with a certain level of confidence. Now I feel like I can do my job, so what’s the next level after that? You push yourself differently. Before, I was very much about trying to please my director, whereas now I ask, “What can I actually bring to this part?”

Is working on a show such as The Witcher at all similar to doing theatre, given the show’s use of CGI and that most things aren’t physically in front of you while filming?

The first season was a lot more CGI-dependent, whereas now they try to build as much as possible. Even with the monsters, you’ll have a bit of it that you act opposite, or sometimes other actors will stand in for you. There’s a scene coming up this season where I’m with a (CGI element), and a member of the cast pretended to be “it” for me. So you rehearse it with all of the real emotions, so it’s kind of in your body when it’s time to shoot. My approach is always, “What is the fundamental truth of this moment?”

How have you evolved as a performer since you started acting at such a young age?

I’m a bit more daring with it; I’m not so afraid of Mimî the actor looking bad or making a wild choice. The judgement doesn’t scare me as much.

What role of yours challenged you more than you expected?

Two stand out to me. One would be my first lead, which was Danai Gurira’s The Convert. It was a play set in Zimbabwe about faith and culture. The other would be The Witcher. I’ve never been with a character that long before. I’m usually not with a character for more than a few months, let alone almost six years now.

That’s the thing about television, you get to keep revisiting a character through the years.

You get to find that detail. Fringilla can be so stoic sometimes; she’s not someone who shows these massive emotions. She experiences things in an insular way. I had a lot of judgement with myself stepping into that—am I going to be bland? Am I going to be interesting to watch? Once I put that aside, it became about the details of things. I actually think she’s got a childlike heart; she’s constantly trying to get back to before Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) stole her man. I read the books a lot; I constantly go back to the source. When you’re at a different stage with that character, different things will jump out at you. What surprises me is how much more there is.

Mimi M Khayisa, A Good House, Royal Court Theatre

Tell me about yourself outside of the performing arts.

I fill my time with a lot of family, stepping back from the industry. Sometimes I’ll disappear for a month or two to switch off. When I come back, it’s with new eyes. I spend a lot of time in South Africa, which has been great for this play. I’ve built up a home there; I have a lot of family there. I get a lot of opportunities to direct out there through charities. I’m interested in creating work that speaks to my culture, to the things that inspired me—not just now, but when I was a kid.

Getting into A Good House, how was it working on something that hits closer to home?

It was a really short turnaround between casting and rehearsals… I literally wept as I read through the script. After my audition, I wrote to the director, which I never do. If it’s meant to be mine, it will be mine—let the universe sort it out. But I wrote to him and explained my heritage and what the play means to me. I left it out there for two days, and then I wrote to the writer. I really wanted this part. I’ve read a lot of plays that have to do with class or race, and you can usually predict where it’s going. What I loved about this play was the nuance of it—not only those big topics but also how we see ourselves and how we relate to one another. It really struck a chord with me.

Speak on the importance of that nuance. Oftentimes, when a project is discussing an under-represented group, there can be a tendency to tokenize.

Particularly when you’re doing a piece of work that’s based on a culture or a heritage outside of that culture, what happens is that it gets washed with stereotypes. It gets washed with a type of person, as if everyone from there is the same. That’s not so interesting to me because that is not true. What is great about this play is that you get all these people who, on the surface, are from the same place and have a shared understanding, yet they constantly misunderstand each other.

Credits: Photographer - Jemima Marriott Styling - Prue Fisher Make up - Joy Adenuga

How does this play speak on contemporary life in the UK?

It’s completely set in Cape Town, South Africa, but the themes are very universal. It’s about community—what is it that makes us feel connected to people? What is it that makes us feel connected to ourselves?

Is there a director you’d like the opportunity to work with?

As a director, Denzel Washington. The detail in his work, how he performs—I’d feel fascinated and privileged to learn from that. Not only what the piece looks like, but what’s the process that gets you there—that can unlock some things.

What’s a challenge you’re looking for, as a performer, going forward?

Skill precision—a character that has a skill I don’t have. A character that is fantastic at language or thinks extremely differently than me. I’m at a point in my career where I really want to push myself and explore my own boundaries. A character that travels would be really nice.

A Good House is now on stage at the Royal Court Theatre until February 8th and at the Bristol Old Vic from Feb 14th to March 8th.