YouTube Star Lizzy Capri Talks Acting In Crown Lake, Creating Content, And Giving Back - Exclusive Interview

YouTuber and philanthropist Lizzy Capri recently took her first foray into TV acting, playing Ms. Lin in "Crown Lake." Capri seems to have mastered the world of social media, with over 11 million followers across her platforms. On YouTube, she's known for creating family-friendly vlogs, comedy videos, and gaming videos. She's highly successful in making her own content, as well as co-creating TEAM RAR, one of the most popular YouTube creator groups. Capri was also nominated for "Breakout Creator of the Year" at the 2019 Streamy Awards.

But, acting as part of a big production was a new experience for the YouTuber. During an exclusive interview with Nicki Swift, Capri shared why filming "Crown Lake" was the complete opposite of what she's used to. She discussed why she thought this project was a good way for her to try acting and what kind of roles she would want to try in the future. Capri also spoke about her career as an influencer and how she hopes to use her platform to continue to spread positivity.

So what made you want to be a part of "Crown Lake?"

So I've known about Brat TV for a while now, and I've always kind of wanted to dabble in acting. A lot of the stuff I do on my channel is improv, and some of it is real, and some of it is acting, or sometimes we'll do retakes, and so I'll have to kind of act. And so it was kind of a great segue into Brat, where it's a similar audience, similar demographic. And I also think a similar level of acting. I feel like a lot of people go do kind of their first ... They kind of have their first experience acting on that show. So I thought it would be kind of the perfect place for me to be exposed to that. And so, I thought it was a really cool way for me to get into acting. Plus, their content, how they film everything, is really cool. And I just thought it'd be a really great experience for me.

And what was it like doing your first big acting role? Was it what you expected?

Yeah, it was really cool and really eye-opening just because I've never been on set to something like that before where there are all these sets, there's a bunch of people for every single thing. And it was really cool to just show up and do hair and makeup and wardrobe. There are so many facets to produce a show that I had never experienced before. And so the experience was really cool. It was really eye-opening. I learned a lot. I met a lot of great people. And yeah, it was overall really fun.

Yeah. And what do you feel was the biggest adjustment going from making your own videos versus this produced show?

So I think the biggest change was that it's literally the opposite of what I'm so used to. I'm used to holding my own camera or directing and producing and coming up with the outline, coming up with the ideas, even into post-production of editing. I don't edit anymore, but going through the edits, revising, all that kind of stuff. And so it was really weird to be super hands-off and kind of being thrown into the mix of everything, whereas I'm used to kind of knowing everything that's going on and being a part of every single step of the way. And so the whole thing is just totally different than what I'm used to, which was a really cool experience. But at the same time, it was weird not knowing like, okay, like I'm going to have no idea what this is really going to look like in post-production. Because I don't see what's behind the camera. I don't see how they're editing it. And so it was cool to see the final product too, and see how it all came together.

Was it at all difficult not being as in control as you're used to?

Yeah. In a way, because with my own content, I do have a lot of control over, let's say the angles or what makes it to the final edit. And so if I was like, "oh, that wasn't the best take," it's hard for me ... Like, yeah, I could do it again, but it's hard for me to see it because normally I'll rewatch a scene. If I'm like, "okay, I really think we should rewatch it and maybe do another take," if I didn't like it. And that just didn't exist at all in this world. So it was definitely weird.

What was it like working with a bigger cast? Did you feel like you were able to get close to most of them?

Yeah, so actually, a lot of them, since they come from social media backgrounds, I had either met them prior or knew of them. And so it was really cool to see them and hang out with them. And it's nice because when we're in that setting, I personally think there's not as much stress because I'm not thinking about all these different aspects about the video, and I can just be there as talent. There's definitely the stress of the acting portion that I was a little bit freaking out about, but I think it turned out really great. And so yeah, it was a really cool setting to hang out with people that I had collaborated with before or have seen on Instagram or social media before. And so it was cool to meet everyone. Everyone's super friendly and super nice.

And do you think you'll want to do more acting in the future after doing this project?

I definitely think I want to do more acting in the future. I had so much fun with this. And it was a small role that I'm like I could definitely do better, just like watching myself back and critiquing myself.

I would love to try voice acting. I think that would be really cool because that stuff is so cool to me. Like it's so different than regular acting, but you still need to really get into character. And yeah, I think that would be really cool.

And do you feel any pressure trying new things like this when you have a big following who will all be watching what you do next?

I feel like I used to feel a lot of pressure kind of doing things outside the realm of what I'm known for, but recently I've just been having fun with experiencing new things and putting myself in these new situations because I feel like being uncomfortable is the best way to grow and to learn more about myself. And so I've kind of just been having fun with everything, and taking the pressure off myself has been the best. Just because I'm like, you know what, I'm probably my biggest critic, and so I feel like if I just get rid of that pressure on myself, my life would be so much easier. And so that's what I've been doing.

What do you feel like is your biggest motivation for the content you create?

I'd say the biggest motivation for me, I just want to create fun videos that not only do I have fun making them but also my audience has fun watching them. As long as I can put a smile on someone's face at the end of the day, that's all that really matters. And when I get really stressed out about something, or I'm like, "Oh my God, this has to be perfect" and I put all this pressure on myself. I like to take a step back and think, "okay, why am I doing this? And at the end of the day, why does it matter if I'm not even having fun making this content?" And so, I try to pull myself back from all these things that start to build up and stress me out. I'm like, "you know what? As long as one person watched my video and thought it was great or had a good time or walked away smiling, that's all that matters." So I can really take all that pressure off myself and just have fun with it.

Yeah, absolutely. And then you've also used your platform to support a few nonprofits like Make-A-Wish and the Thirst Project. Why is it important to you to also promote those?

Yeah, so I love getting involved with the Thirst Project, Make-A-Wish, even just giving back to the community in different ways. I volunteered for, what was it called? Well, we went to skid row basically in downtown L.A. and gave out free meals. And I posted a video about that on my channel. And I just think it's great to give back to the community like that because it just inspires other people to do the same. It's kind of like paying it forward, where if you pay it forward, those people will pay it forward, and that movement can keep going on.

And I think as a role model, it's something that I care about, and I also want to make other people aware of. Anyone could get involved, and anyone can help. Like, you don't really need a huge following to help and you can just even be nice to your next-door neighbor or your friends in class. And that just goes such a long way. And so doing it on a bigger scale is awesome. The fact that I can even have the ability to do that, I think is so cool, but really it's the message that I'm sending that's the most powerful because all of these people are watching. And even if like 10% of the people who watch were like, you know what, this inspired me to do something good for my community or give back to my friends or some kind of thing like that, that's a huge impact. And hopefully, that continues to have a butterfly effect and spread. And so I think it's just important to give back.

Season 3 of "Crown Lake" is available to stream now on Brat TV. New episodes premiere every Tuesday.