We were lucky to catch up with Lili Fox-Lim recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lili, appreciate you joining us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

The very first dollar I earned as an actor was in college – there was a staged reading in Berkeley at the Quantum Dragon Theatre that a friend invited me to perform in for a new play called “Prototype.” It was wonderful in so many ways. First, it was a sci-fi work, and I LOVE sci-fi. Not to mention I was playing a captain of a starship (every woman’s dream!). AND they all switch bodies, as you do in space – it was truly an imaginative and entertaining play! It certainly made an impact on me, and getting paid to do something you love is unmatched. Of course, they couldn’t pay us a lot (hello, theater!) but I will always remember that as the first time I became a “professional” actor, in the classical sense of the word. And, funnily enough, the first stage show I performed in after returning to LA after college was also sci-fi, stage combat, and truly awesome – “Klingon Tamburlaine” with School of Night, which was an amazing experience and was so full of things (and people) I love. I’ve been quite lucky, even from the beginning, in terms of which projects I’ve had a chance to work on as an actor.

Lili, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m an actor, comedian, and chronic illness advocate based in LA.

Luckily, I LOVE science fiction, since I work on sci-fi projects a lot! Just to name a few, there’s “Protoype” – my first paid gig, “Klingon Tamburlaine” – a Star Trek adaptation of the work by School of Night, and the web series “Keep in Touch” that I created with my production company LillixLili. I also cohost a super fun and super nerdy Star Trek talk show called “A Captain’s Log,” which has aired 2 seasons on 14 local channels nationwide, including in Manhattan and in Portland. I’ve been truly blessed with opportunities to work on such amazing sci-fi projects with amazing sci-fi people.

That being said, my other true love is COMEDY. Sitcoms! Jokes! Flops. And since I’m one of the cool kids, I’ve studied, read books, written papers, and taken classes about sitcoms – I simply adore them and their hidden complexities. One thing I’m inanely proud of is that my first paid stand up comedy show (that made me the elusive “professional” comedian) was a show streamed live from Animal Crossing during the quarantine. A wild time!

Some of the work I’m most proud of is my work that bridges the gap between chronic illness advocacy and performance – one of my most recent projects has been “Long Haul Voices,” which is a three-part documentary from Unfixed Media and nonprofit Solve M.E. The doc details life with ME/CFS and Long Haul Covid through the lenses of both patients and experts. It’s truly moving, and I’m very grateful to have worked with a great team on that one too! Gosh, broken record much? Well, what can I say, I work with all the best people.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When first dealt the cards of chronic illness, I had a really hard time with it. Not to say that I still don’t, because it’s a tough hand. I always saw it as a weakness and an inability to “keep up” with everyone else, especially when you feel that you could do more if your body would stop betraying you. Yeah, it’s really rough! Having a chronic illness/disability has completely changed everything about my trajectory and goals, and completely derailed me for a while. Over time, I’ve realized that comparing yourself to others is not fair to you. We are unique and our journeys are as different as we are.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Pay them!

I think it’s that simple – at least the way things are now, we need to show that we support and value artists and creatives with money. Though the pandemic has showed us that arts and media and games are essential to our wellbeing and survival in this society, the arts and the creative ecosystem are currently suffering from what I call, “WAP for profit.” Actually I’ve never called it that. No one should call it that. Anyway… as a result, smaller artists and new + original stories are struggling to be seen as having “value” and making their art a sustainable thing to put energy into.

So if you appreciate an artist’s work, try to support them however you can! Times are tough, and if you can’t monetarily support an artist, try sharing their work or sending it to a friend who may enjoy it.

Contact Info:

• Website: lilifoxlim.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lilifoxlim
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilifoxlim.official
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lilifoxlim?lang=en
• Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9795854/

Image Credits
Gena G Photography, Kim Alexis Photography, School of Night, BK Studios, Unfixed Media