Lili Wexu: Voice Acting Techniques That Let You Shine

Lili Wexu. You might recognize her name from Grey’s Anatomy, American Crime Story, Assassin’s Creed, or Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem. Imagine my surprise when I found her Get Clever About VO course almost a year ago.  I was over the moon! See, I’m a bit of a process person. Tell me the process, I’ll execute, and voila!  So when I found out there was a step by step process to breaking down scripts, I was like, YEAH! Now we’re talking! Needless to say, it’s not quite that easy, because good script analysis goes way beyond anything I had ever encountered! When I finished the course it still felt a bit daunting, but Lili and I chatted for a bit and I thought, “Oh my gosh! This woman actually gets me!” I’m so glad I was able to get into one of her small workout groups! One of the things I love about Lili is that first she works to get all the “junk” that may be hiding in your reads out of the way. And once you’ve packed up those bags we’ve been dragging along from old TV and radio, you can move ahead with some really cool voice acting techniques that have been quite the eye-opener for me, to say the least. If you’re looking to shake things up, I can’t recommend Lili’s Power Moves 101 and 102 enough! And if you’re just starting out her Get Clever About Voice Acting eBook series is a must read. I talked her into sharing some nuggets from her career. Read on to find out all about her, and learn a bit about her tried and true acting methods and how it’s led her through the great “Conversational” transition. It feels like voice direction lives on two extremes—either it’s two words like “friendly, conversational” or it’s longer than the script itself. When you’re faced with that much input on an audition, how do you filter it into something actionable instead of overwhelming?

Great question! Directions are very tricky in commercials and can be counter-intuitive, so I’m a big fan of two-word directions! Those are usually actionable. 

When I see long paragraphs of descriptions and context, I first look to see if it needs to be conversational and real. That already sets me on a specific path. Then I look for what they don’t want to make sure I steer clear of that. Next I try to eliminate what I call “fluff”, so I look for adjectives and attributes I was born with (in my case, low voice, gravitas, confidence, authority, etc.), or ones I have no control over (e.g. we want someone who sounds memorable). I basically ignore those. 

Lastly, I look for anything that stands out or is unusual. For example they might say they want to keep things positive even though the script has negative language. In that case I know I’ll have to avoid getting dragged down by the script. Or they may put a big emphasis on rhythm, which would put me on a search for said rhythm in the script. They might say they’re open to improvisations, so I’ll be sure to throw in a few. 

But overall, I look for actionable directions. It’s hard to play “intelligent”, but easy to play “confident”. I can’t play “unique” or “distinctive”, but I can just be myself, which is unique, by definition. 

How do you know when someone’s read has crossed from “performed” into “believed”?

You just feel it. The message has a certain clarity to it. It’s hard to describe in words, but essentially, the words sound like they mean something to the person saying them. They’re often backed up by point of view, experience, and/or emotion. The script isn’t just being recited in cute ways. 

You’ve worked across TV, film, games, commercials and narrations. Is there one skill you find carries through all of it, no matter the genre? Is there anything you’ve had to unlearn moving between those genres?

The skills I’ve learned in my acting classes have been instrumental in allowing me to work as a performer in all sectors. It’s where I learned to be grounded, to bring myself and my point of view to the job, to analyze scripts, to find character, to be free, to be brave, to work with other actors, and finally (after many years) to trust myself as an artist.  

As far as unlearning things, it’s more like every medium requires slight adjustments. Like on camera, we see the whole body, whereas behind the mic we only hear voice, so it takes a minute to figure out how to communicate as clearly and effectively on a smaller canvas. Like on camera, you can “see” me thinking. In voice, how do you “hear” me thinking? In narrations, you’ll still play a character, but it’s much more subdued, like perhaps you’re a teacher, or an employee. Here, enunciation, tone, and pace become much more important than in video games where it’s all about being in the reality of the situation. 

You’ve built your Get Clever About VO courses alongside all of this. How much of that came from learning from your own mistakes? Can you talk a bit about the techniques behind your course?

It was incredibly challenging for me to break down what I do to book work, and package it in a way that would be helpful to others. It was a LOT of trial and error, especially because what works for me, or for a pro, may not work on someone just starting out. There are also many different types of people, all at different stages in their careers, with a wide range of natural abilities and skills. And each and every one of them have unique challenges and learns differently. 

But at the end of the day, I book work by using acting based techniques that I’ve tailored to VO, so I took note of my go-to’s, and tried them on my students to see if they could work on them. I kept the tools that worked universally, and either tossed, re-worked, or broke some of the other techniques down further until they worked. 

On this journey, I also learned that teaching effectively is a skill in of itself, and I’m continually learning it! But what I love about it is that it makes me better at my job, too. I have to practice what I preach, and I have to pay deeper attention to things I do on instinct. I love it! 

Have your instincts changed over time, or have you just gotten better at trusting them? Looks like we both had instincts on our mind! To be honest, I don’t know that I had any good instincts when I started out. I basically imitated my mentor and did what I was told. I was young and didn’t know what I was doing. But over many years of being directed by clients, day in and day out, I learned a lot about what creative directors and clients respond to. Those became my instincts and they worked for a long time. It all started to fall apart about 15 years ago when the industry went more conversational. Suddenly, auditions were no longer carbon-copies of commercials. That made auditioning trickier and I realized that I couldn’t trust my “in-session” instincts as much. I was still getting hired, but I struggled with auditions for a few years. The frustration eventually led me back to the drawing board, thinking about new ways to approach auditions. This is when I started using more acting techniques in my VO work. It took some tinkering, but it worked. So my instincts probably got an upgrade when I started booking again. I’ve also had more acting training under my belt since then, so I trust myself a lot more these days.   

What’s a “small” habit that’s made a big difference in your career? My secret weapon has always been my acting training. It’s the thing that’s made me most successful. If I’m not in some form of acting class, I’m teaching some form of acting (works just as well!).  

And what’s elevated my work the most, is being more and more specific in my work. I try to leave no stone unturned. I pay a lot of attention to the script, the format, the words, the punctuation. I also try to pull back: I ask myself why the writer wrote the script that way specifically, who it’s for, and what their aim is with it. And when the script is crappy, I fill in the blanks, and make it work for me however I can. This works for absolutely any type of script.

You have such clear vision in your coaching! For those of us fumbling about, what do most actors think they need, versus what they actually need? There are so many different types of actors, so it’s not a one-size fits all, but I would say most people’s blind spot is script analysis, which includes directions. 

I’ve learned a lot about commercial scripts in recording sessions with clients, and in acting classes, so it’s not like I was good at this from the start. I’ve also learned a lot by having to explain to students why I would use one acting technique over another in a specific script. All this to say: I get that this part of the job is difficult to master; it was for me too. 

And of course, most voice actors get bogged down by commercial directions. They’re so convoluted! They’re nothing like film or stage directions. 

For someone who’s reading this and recognizing themselves in those answers, but maybe can’t work with you one-on-one, how do your Get Clever About VO courses help them start shifting that on their own? I’ve found that most voice actors who are struggling are imitating commercials and/or focusing on their voice. This could be an occupational hazard from having been an announcer for years, or simply a lack of understanding of how the advertising operates these days. Today’s brands want so much more than a voice. They want a human they can relate to, no matter the script. They need that human to create a connection with their audience, and this is especially acute at the audition phase, when they themselves are the audience. So the courses aim to give voice actors the tools they need to meet creatives where they’re at, and ultimately, become more castable. And obviously those skills are incredibly useful on the job. It helps voice actors actually keep the jobs they book. 

Is there a moment in coaching where you can tell, “Oh, they’re about to turn a corner”? Yes! Coaching involves a lot of repetition and as a student myself, I know it can feel like nothing is happening, but it all builds up, and at some point, it’s like an avalanche: it gives in and you break through. I find that learning is like a series of avalanches. Eventually the voice actor becomes dangerous, -in a good way!

Since we’ve touched on direction, what’s the most bizarre or unexpected direction you’ve ever gotten from a client during your career?

The strangest one came from a client whom I had recorded several campaigns for. I was always the announcer, but on that day, they presented me with a mockup of their next commercial. The main character in it was a strange looking alien-puppet and they wanted it to sound like a man. I explained that I could sound like a boy, but that as a woman, I didn’t have the testosterone needed to pull off a real male voice. They insisted I try, nonetheless. Needless to say, I didn’t book that one!

If your curiosity has been piqued and you want to learn more, here are Lili’s socials:

Website

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Get Clever About VO - VO Training

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YouTube - Tons of Tips!