Lilly Singh started off her journey as a content creator on social media, but owing to her popularity in the Indian diaspora in the West, she became the first female late night show host and also bagged acting opportunities. Recently, she was seen in the show Deli Boys 2, and Lilly Singh insists that her work credit has changed the way people in India look at her.
“Years ago, when I used to go to India, people would be excited because I was this comedic personality on YouTube and they were like ‘you’re really funny and we watch your content and we laugh a lot’. Now, the reaction is a little different. It’s not so much like, ‘we watch your content and we think you’re so funny’. It’s like, ‘wow, it’s really meaningful. Your presence in the West is really meaningful and the conversations you’re having are really important’,” she says, adding that the reaction from Indians has evolved over time on her work and she is enjoying that more.
Watch the full chat with Lilly Singh here:
“Being funny is great, but what’s even greater is being funny while you’re saying something. I want to make sure that I’m starting important conversations and I am actually standing for something. When I come to India, they really recognize that and I appreciate that,” she says.
Ask her how doing comedy on screen has been different than doing it for her sketches and Lilly says, “When I did sketches, I was in every department. I was the writer, the actor, the producer, the legal department and I did whatever I thought was funny. Those were my ideas I was bringing to life, but as an actor, there is a lot you learn about the creative process when you’re bringing someone else’s work to life. That does unlock different parts of your brain and creativity. It’s really helped me grow and it’s made me a better performer across the board.”
But acting for Lilly is a “constant work in progress”. She shares, “I don’t think there’ll ever be a day where I am about to go on stage or on set and I’m not a little nervous. That’ll always be the case because I really care and I’m okay with that. But as I’ve grown and gotten more experienced, I do a really good job of when I leave that set or stage, I am really proud of myself. I have built my confidence a lot in that way. When I was on YouTube, my whole life was governed by comments and any bad comment would make me feel bad about myself. But now I have enough body of work where that would not phase me as much. I am proud of myself and so that is what is driving me forward with confidence.”