Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Lili Wexu

Being an artist is a lifelong journey. Just ask Lili Wexu. The world-renowned actress and voice-over talent has appeared in hit series that include American Crime Story and Grey’s Anatomy, and lent her voice to the Assassin’s Creed franchise.

With over two decades’ worth of experience under her belt, Lili is paving the way for the next generation of storytellers with the release of her three-part e-book series, Get Clever About.

We caught up with Lili to chat about everything she’s accomplished, this exciting chapter in her career, and, of course, Get Clever About.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Lili: When I was a kid, two things were happening at once. One of them was that I really had a connection to my voice. This is going to sound ridiculous, but I really thought it was special. I didn’t know what that meant. [laughs] I noticed that my voice was lower than everybody else’s. I felt it was special.

When I was a kid, I used to write monologues and act out scenes. I used to love sketch comedy and I still do. I used to act out sketches and monologues for my family. Since I was a kid, my mother was always adamant that I was going to be an actress. It was almost like the choice was made for me. I never really questioned that.

Eventually, because of my connection to my voice, I thought I would be a singer. I took some singing lessons, and I was singled out as a buzzing bee. I was very young and it was kind of a traumatic experience. I quit my singing career at the tender age of eight years old. [laughs]

Then when I was about nineteen, I studied acting. I met some deejays and they came to where I worked a lot. We hung out and they would always say, “You should do some radio.” Eventually, one day, this campaign came through and they needed me. They said, “This would be your opportunity to come into a radio station and try voice-over work.” From that point on, I viewed it almost as two separate careers. Eventually, they began blending together.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Lili: My mentor had the biggest influence because he brought me into this business. After that, I would say my voice acting coach. Coaches have had the biggest influence on my life. One brought me in and the second took what was there and made it better. It’s how I got my foot in the door. Coaching helped me go from doing this part-time to doing it full-time.

PC: You’ve been a part of several different projects throughout the years. When you look back, is there one in particular that stands out?
Lili: Definitely the Olympics! That will always be the biggest moment in my life because I’m Canadian and it was in Canada. I’m also American, but doing that in Canada was really special. Also the sheer number of people that it reached.

The Olympics is all about pushing yourself beyond what you think you can do. It’s about what more can you do? How can you push yourself to be better? I’ve certainly felt that in my career. There were times where I thought I wouldn’t be able to do this or that, but those coaches, like I was mentioning earlier, really helped me surpass myself.

The fact that the Olympics celebrates that sentiment was really special. It was my second really big live announcing gig. I was so green. That always stands out for me.

PC: You have a new e-book series out now. Tell us about Get Clever About and the inspiration behind it.
Lili: When you do voice acting, everybody asks you, “How do you get into it? How do you do it?” There’s a lot that goes into it and a lot to cover. I’ve been journaling since I was a kid. I’m someone who loves to take notes and do research. I like to get to the bottom of things. Over the years, I’ve accumulated a lot of notes. I wanted to create something that would give people an idea of what it takes.

I decided to break the book into three sections. Each is very different. There’s the artistic part, the technical part, and the entrepreneurial/marketing part. They’re all very different. You really have to master, or at least attempt to master, all three so that you can make some headway. A lot of the time, people approach it from one angle, but it’s a multipronged thing. I wanted to cover as much ground as possible to give people an idea of where to start.

PC: As you were writing these three different sections, did anything surprise you? What was the biggest takeaway for you?
Lili: The technical part is the hardest. Everyone loves the artistic part, right? Everyone is always like, “That sounds like fun.” People forget that it’s a lifelong journey. I remember someone reached out to me once and said, “I’ve checked off the acting classes.” I was like, “Whoa. You’re never going to be done learning.” I’m a testament to that because whenever I’m out of acting class, I start to book less work. When I go back into acting class, boom, I book more work. There’s always this misconception that it’s a one-time thing that you have to do. Acting is a lifelong journey. Being an artist is a lifelong journey.

People hate the technical part. They get so stressed about it. The thing that I realized is that people are more adept at handling technology than when I started. People know apps and they know programs. They can navigate so many different applications and programs that honestly dealing with audio isn’t a big deal. What’s more difficult is making sure it’s quiet. That’s the hard part. What I realized about the technical part is that people make a big deal out of it, but it’s not that far of a stretch. If you can handle a Word document, you can handle an audio program. There are only a few functions that you need to use: record, stop, copy, paste, take a noise out. [laughs] It’s simple.

Then we have the marketing part, which is another thing that people hate. But everyone is on social media. They love getting likes. Marketing is the same thing. You’re looking for those likes. You’re putting demos out there and you want to get somebody who’s going to comment and engage with you. That’s what you’re looking for. That’s a skill that most people already have.

What I realized when I wrote these books is it always seems like an impossible thing, but I was like, “No, wait a minute. Everyone has this in their wheelhouse.” It’s still hard work, but it’s not as crazy as people think.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Lili: Cobra Kai. It’s really good, funny, and cute. We also watched a Canadian show called Heartland. That got us through the first part of the pandemic because we were so depressed about the state of the world. Everyone is happy in it. It’s about horses and mountains.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Lili: Comedies are really big right now for me. There’s a comedy called Search Party. It’s so funny. It’s a feel-good movie. Get Out is another. It’s a dark comedy, but it’s so good.

PC: Favorite book?
Lili: Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Lili: That’s a tough one. I would say any play by Donald Margulies like Dinner with Friends or Time Stands Still. There’s a great play called Art by Yasmina Reza. It’s freaking hilarious.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Lili: Beethoven.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Lili: Hilary Swank.

To keep up with Lili, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Pick up your copy of Get Clever About today.

Photo Credit: Bjoern Kommerell