Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Kaos’ presents the characters from the Greek Mythology with a modern twist. The eight-episode first season focuses on a prophecy involving three humans whose fates will take them in a direction that will change the world. One of those humans is Caeneus, who has been in the Underworld for ten years, entirely unaware of the role he has to play in the fall of the gods. As a part of his backstory, we discover that his gender identity and its connection with his arc in the show is more complicated than initially imagined. SPOILERS AHEAD
Caeneus’ Trans-Identity is Important to His Arc
In Greek Mythology, Caeneus was born as a girl, Caenis. There are several versions of what happened to him, but there is a common thread in all those stories that states that Caenis was transformed into a man by Poseidon. In almost all versions, Caenis asked for the transformation and identified as Caeneus. ‘Kaos’ picks this chapter from the mythology to fit in the complicated plot line of the prophecy but brings its own twist to the story.
In the show, Caeneus is born amongst the Amazons, who don’t allow male children to stay amongst them. As Caenis, Caeneus is allowed to stay for as long as possible, but then his mother decides that it would be better for him to leave as soon as possible because once the other Amazons discover his truth, they will kill him. Though Caeneus flees, he is later found and killed by the Amazons and sent to the Underworld. The show also adds a bit about the prophecy and his romance with Eurydice, aka Riddy. All in all, the show completely revamps his story but keeps the soul of his character.
Trans Actor Misia Butler Identified Closely With Caeneus
Caeneus is played by British actor Misia Butler, who, like the character, identifies as a trans man. Owing to his own interest in Greek mythology, the actor auditioned for the show and landed the role as one of the leads after a rigorous round of auditions.
He immediately found a connection with Caeneus because he feels that the character is “quite like him.” He liked how Caeneus fit into the storyline and how his transness is important for the plot, but it doesn’t his entire personality. He was glad to see that the character’s “journey is influenced and informed by his transness,” but we never see him boxed in due to his gender identity. Rather, the story presents different facets of his life, focusing on his relationship with his mother, his unlikely romance with Eurydice, and his role in the prophecy that changes the course of everything in the show.
The actor, who has previously appeared in Netflix projects like ‘The School for Good and Evil’ and ‘The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself,’ said that playing Caeneus was a great experience, especially with a star-studded cast that had a lot to teach him. The actor transitioned a few years back but stated that he is still “learning about aspects of fluidity and what gender really means” to him. He said that there is still more stuff to learn about his sexual and gender identity, and he intends to keep exploring it.
Read More: Kaos Season 1 Ending, Explained: Does Zeus’ Prophecy Come True?
