Who is Sebastian Li?
I’m Seb and I’m a Melbourne-based performing artist. I grew up on the sunny lands of the Gold Coast, Queensland, and relocated to Melbourne to study Acting at the Victorian College of the Arts.
My work as an actor spans across theatre and film and you can often find me playing some kind of flamboyant Shakespearean character in the park with Melbourne Shakespeare Company. I also recently performed in The Beep Test: The Musical at Theatre Works (which you can now listen to the Original Cast Album on all streaming platforms!!).
What would you do differently to what you do now?
Honestly, the only career path that’s ever truly inspired me and given me a sense of purpose is the performing arts.
That said, when I was a kid, I was always painting, sketching, or making some kind of sculpture made out of god knows what, so potentially my alternate career could’ve been somewhere in the world of the visual arts.
I fear I also would be a bloody excellent flight attendant; however I am an absurdly nervous flyer so that would not go down well.
Who inspires you and why?
Emma Stone ceaselessly dazzles me in every movie of hers that I see. La La Land is my favourite film of all time and since then, I have been a huge fan. I want her career.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
Force every single person in the world to watch every episode of Heated Rivalry, back-to-back, uninterrupted.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Bali. My Dad is Indonesian, so my family and I spend quite a lot of time on the island. I went to school in Bali for a portion of high school, so I always will feel like it’s a second home to me. It’s hard to describe, but there is something so magnetic about Bali – it’s not called the Island of the Gods for nothing. Plus, you can never beat a real-deal Mie Goreng and a beachside-Bintang.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
There will be a strict itinerary that I lay out which includes but is not limited to; coffee at Market Lane and a shop around the Fitzroy Mills Markets. Then we catch a cheeky matinee of whatever big glitzy commercial musical is playing in the city, followed by a meander inside the NGV, finishing with a mega feast at Empress of China. Why? Because they have arguably the best dumplings in Melbourne.
What are you currently reading?
Sunrise on the Reaping.
What are you currently listening to?
In preparation for Laneway 2026, I have been listening non-stop to Wolf Alice, Chappell Roan and PinkPantheress.
Happiness is?
Door Dashing two, sometimes three, cookies from The Confectionist Bakery.
What does the future hold for you?
For the next two weeks you can catch me on the Theatre Works stage again in Australian Open. It’s playing as part of Melbourne’s iconic Midsumma Festival.
After that I am actually moving to Japan in February for one year to work as an entertainer at one of the big theme parks there. It’s my first lengthy contract working as a full-time actor, which is bonkers and I am so incredibly excited.
Sebastian stars as Felix in Angus Cameron’s Australian Open – currently playing at Theatre Works, St Kilda, as part of the 2026 Midsumma Festival, until 31 January. For more information, visit: www.theatreworks.org.au for details
Image: Sebastian Li (supplied)