She may have just inked her allegiance to the dark side, but Lesley-Ann Brandt is a far more wholesome individual than her role as Mazikeen on Lucifer would suggest. The South African actress, mum, and buff lady extraordinaire has dedicated her social media presence and a merch line to criticising the Trump administration’s policies on gun control and border protection.
‘Care Like A Demon’ is the only (semi) official Lucifer merchandise available, making it the perfect opportunity for Brandt to raise money for the causes she’s most passionate about. 100% of her profits are going to Everytown, a gun safety advocacy group, and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services.
‘Won’t somebody please think of the children’ is pretty much her political platform. In an Instagram post she wrote, “My son starts preschool next month. He is two. I have to ask what their shooter policy is because we live in America. That. Is. Not. Normal. That. Is. Not. Ok.”
Like many celebs, she also sees the detention of asylum-seeking kids to be a totally ridiculous way of dealing with a fraught political problem, provoking her into taking action in whatever way she can.
This isn’t the first time she’s tackled big social justice issues either. Lesley-Ann Brandt has long been an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, speaking at a fundraiser for the Human Rights Campaign about the importance of representation and her role in reinforcing Mazikeen’s pansexuality.
For a show about literal hell on Earth, it’s kind of surprising that the cast is full of absolute softies. The ‘Lucifamily’ all seem pretty close, and Lesley has even inspired her co-stars to get matching tattoos to honour the show. They also rallied the troops to get the show saved from cancellation, which is an increasingly common way to rescue your faves in the streaming era.
Even as Mazikeen on Lucifer, she’s a complex character. The last season of the show saw the demon learn to appreciate her friends more, and become besties with a ten-year-old. Maybe humanity is a good influence on her, or maybe it’s the awesomeness of the actress who portrays her breaking the fourth wall. Either way, can we say that Lesley-Ann Brandt is a godsend?
