You Ask… Lily Van der Meer (Xanthe)
Neighbours’ Xanthe Canning ...faces your questions!
As Xanthe, she’s celeb-obsessed, boy mad and charmingly naive. But in reality, Lilly is different – as she reveals while answering your burning questions…
“Was it daunting to step on to the Neighbours set when you were just 16 years old?”
Yes, it was! I used to watch the show before I joined, so walking in to see Alan Fletcher [Karl], Jackie Woodburne [Susan] and all the other legends of Erinsborough sitting in a room was scary. But everybody was so friendly. When you’re one of the youngest cast members,
everyone feels that responsibility to take you under their wing and guide you. It’s nice as I’m doing that with the younger cast members now like Vani Dhir [Kirsha] and Darcy Tadich [Jimmy], who have joined since. It’s a role reversal!
“Would you like to see Xanthe and Ben get back together?”
“Us viewers love Xanthe’s friendship with Piper. Who’s your real-life bestie?”
My best friend from school is Amy. I met her when I moved up to high school, and she still lives on the Gold Coast where I grew up. We may be in different states, but I fly up there to see her, and she comes down here to see me. It’s a long-distance best friendship, but it works. We go camping together every year – it’s our annual trip, which is really sweet. We message each other every night, and she is so supportive. She wasn’t a fan of Neighbours before, but now she and her family will watch it, so they know what I’m doing.
“What’s the best thing about working with Colette Mann [Sheila]?”
I love this question. The best thing? Everything – honestly! From the day I walked in, she took me under her wing straight away. She said to my mum, “I will help Lilly and guide her,” because I’d never been on a professional set before. She helped me with all the acting aspect of it, but also on-set etiquette too. She’s incredible, I love her so much.
“Xanthe is into celeb culture. Who is your favourite celebrity to follow on Instagram?”
I can’t say that I’m into celebrity culture. Before the show, I didn’t have any idea who the Kardashians were and I didn’t know about the Liam/miley relationship
thing. I’m really not into the same stuff as Xanthe
– the celeb stuff is not up my alley. I follow lots of surf and skate pages because I grew up on the Gold Coast, and I was always by the water.
“We love Xanthe and Piper – who’s your real-life bestie?”
“Are you enjoying filming scenes in the Lassiters spa now Xanthe has got her new job?”
It was interesting to film that stuff because I have no idea about that world at all. Going in, I had the prop guys – and I mean 40- to 50-year-old men – having to tell me how to put on a face mask because I did not know what
I was doing! It was a great storyline, and I really like working with Emma Lane [Courtney]. Xanthe has become a shoulder to cry on, the advice giver – that’s an exciting change for her.
“What is the nicest present a fan has ever given you?”
I have drawings that fans send in.
It’s so sweet. I’m not talented at all with a pen, but these fans are just incredible – and they write long letters to me too. I’m only just 18, so they’ve all been sent to my mum in the past, and then we go through them all together. Mum is really invested in it all. The drawings are so beautiful, and
I love them so much.
“Were you surprised to find out Xanthe spoke Japanese, and do you speak another language?”
It’s such a random thing. They just kind of popped these Japanese words into the scripts one day and I didn’t even have a meeting about it – we just began doing it! I can speak a little bit of Dutch because my family is from there and I did French in Year Five of school, but I’m not sure that counts. I have no idea what the Japanese in the script means. I could be saying something very wrong!
“Would you like to see Xanthe and Ben get back together?”
I feel as though after the Finn story, it was good to see her be her own person for a while. Since arriving, she’s had the crush on Ben, then she was with Ben, and then obsessed with Finn – so we have seen her grow, find herself and be comfortable in her skin. I think that’s a really important message for fans. I do have all those coming-of-age storylines where I feel a responsibility to younger viewers watching. I have been in some of the situations, so it is nice to show being comfortable with yourself. If Ben and Xanthe did reunite, it would be sweet, and I know fans would love it. I’m open to anything.