Lili Beaudoin has been travelling around the country performing at different theatres and in films since she was just six years old. Now, she’s in Toronto for a production of Romeo & Juliet at the annual Dream in High Park. Stepping into the shoes of Juliet, the actor shares how the love story of her and her partner, actor and comedian Ryan Beil, emulates the Shakespeare classic in one hilarious way.
How they met
I met my partner so many years ago — we were both in the theatre community in Vancouver, so I had known of him. I think I bartended at a venue where he was performing. We had a lot of mutual friends, and we both became a part of the improv world. It became a thing where we just started talking, and we just couldn’t stop.
The first date
It was at Sylvia Hotel, this famous Vancouver hotel that’s covered in vines, very romantic. We met at the hotel bar there for a drink. We pretty much had immediate chemistry. What was really special about Ryan was, instead of all the nerves being nervous energy, it was just all excited, bubbly, excitement energy! I felt like I could talk to him so easily right away.
The relationship
I think we were both pretty full on in the relationship right away. We moved quite fast. We just were really into each other. It’s funny — I’m doing Romeo & Juliet right now, and the two of them are right away saying they love each other. And for us, Ryan actually accidentally told me he loved me on our second date. It just kind of slipped out!
I remember, a month into dating, I had already planned this big, month-long trip to Europe. Ryan was coming off a film shoot and wanted to see me before he left. But on his way home, he got into a car accident! He was so worried about not being able to see me before I went that he just got into a cab and came home, even though he was still in shock. What he gave me was a letter for each country that I was going to, and each letter had pictures and a ton of facts about the country and love notes and sweet little details about how my trip is going and how he’s thinking about me. The effort and thought that he put into it was just so sweet.
We haven’t gotten engaged yet, but we’ve talked about it, and if we do, for some reason it feels right for us that I would be the one to ask!
The pets
Ryan already had two dogs when we started dating, and they’ve since passed away. And we now have another dog, Millie — a Scottish Terrier.
Shared hobbies and interests
We’re big nerds, and we really love games and board games. We’ve played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons together!
The secret to success
We laugh so much at home. Ryan is a renowned comedian, and both of us are improvisers, and we have so many inside jokes that it’s impossible to remember a quarter of them. It’s a really fun household and a really fun life with each other. On top of that, we’re very attentive; we’re each other’s go-to. We’ve been together for nine years now — it really feels like Ryan is not only my partner but a part of my family.
Balancing careers and a relationship
That’s never been much of a struggle for us. We share a career path; we’re both actors. So there have been many times where we’ve collaborated, which is nice. I’ve been on a few of Ryan’s podcasts as a guest, and Ryan has come and done shows with my improv company. On top of that, we support each other a lot. Even just this morning. I helped Ryan with two self-tapes, and we’re on opposite sides of the country right now!
The future together
There are lots of dreams about moving somewhere new or being able to buy a house one day or travelling. But I’m not too stuck on one thing. I’m really just enjoying where we’re at right now. We’ve never done a play together, so that might be nice!
