- Lim was born in the United States after his mother emigrated there with her family from Hong Kong when she was a baby
- Growing up in California, Bruce Lee was the only person on TV that looked like Lim, but films like Crazy Rich Asians have helped change perceptions
David Lim had just landed in Tokyo and was anticipating filming at Shibuya Crossing, generally considered the busiest intersection in the world.
"We start stunt rehearsals tomorrow," said Lim, who plays officer Victor Tan on the action series S.W.A.T. "It's going to be an intense few days."
Lim, 34, is among a growing breed of Asian-American actors finally finding validation in Hollywood " or at least more of it than they've ever had " as productions looked for more diversity in their casts to reflect the real world. The model-turned-actor says that, growing up in California, the only person on TV that looked like him was Bruce Lee.
"Now you see so much more representation," says Lim, who lives in Los Angeles. "And not just on TV and movies, but in commercials and print ads as well."
Lim's breakout role was on Quantico, another action TV series, where he played CIA recruit Sebastian Chen. Before that, he achieved success as a model.
Both career paths, he concedes, were far removed from his academic life " he received a degree in electrical engineering from the University of California, San Diego, and worked as a loan officer for three years " before realising he wanted to move to Los Angeles and pursue acting and modelling instead.
On S.W.A.T, currently in its third season, he is on an elite crime-fighting team led by Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, played by Shemar Moore. Noted character actor Patrick St Esprit, who embodies the tough-guy role, plays Commander Robert Hicks, the top dog to whom everyone reports.
"I get to get out of S.W.A.T Metro with my boys and do something," says St Esprit, who was also filming in Tokyo with Lim. "We're running and gunning, doing lots of quick guerilla scenes. It's like, 'don't flub your lines, boys.'"
For Lim, the inherent action/do-good aspect of the role was the main reason he wanted in. "To play a hero, and a positive role model, someone who has a family life and a love life, it means a lot to me," he says. "I think it means a lot to a lot of kids out there."
Back then, it was a daunting thing that I was getting into. I didn't know if it was possible to exist as an Asian-American artist. I didn't see it in the moviesDavid Lim
Lim was born in Oakland, California. His mother was a baby when she emigrated with her family from Hong Kong. Growing up, he says he was just one of a handful of Asians in the neighbourhood, and his parents wanted to be sure that he was as familiar as possible with his culture.
"My mom had two older brothers who were 10 and 14 when they all emigrated, and we would do family gatherings and Thanksgiving with everyone speaking fluent Cantonese," he says. "That really gave me a sense of Chinese culture."
When he moved to Los Angeles a decade ago, he was initially only offered "stereotypical, nerdy roles" " if indeed any came his way at all.
"Back then, it was a daunting thing that I was getting into," he says. "I didn't know if it was possible to exist as an Asian-American artist. I didn't see it in the movies. There was nobody you could look at and say, 'there's the path. There is how they made it.'"
Still, he pursued any opportunity that came his way " even the smallest of parts with barely two or three lines.
"I had to start my career and keep pushing through that," he says. "I had a feeling that things would open up. I always believed there was a need of more Asian representation. I believed that I could break some of those barriers."
The critical and commercial success of movies such as Crazy Rich Asians and The Farewell certainly proves Lim's point. These days, he is being called on for bigger roles specifically written for Asian actors. Much of that, he says, is driven by what's going on behind the scenes, with Asians in writer's rooms and behind the camera.
"All that helps in telling diverse stories, because we get different points of view," he says. "The writer's room on S.W.A.T is incredibly diverse and because of that we can lean away from stereotypes. And if it's happening with our show, it's happening with others too."
For now, Lim is digging deep into his role as Victor Tan, for which he had to prepare by spending extra time in the gym before the start of shooting. A long-time fitness buff and athlete " he grew up playing baseball, soccer and basketball " he practices kick-boxing and lifts weights.
I've trained myself to stay ready. So when that audition does come up out of the blue, you go in there, and you deliver the partDavid Lim on his acting career
"Fitness has been a part of my daily life since I was 12, when I picked up my first set of dumbbells trying to impress a girl," he says. "I was young for my grade so I had to get in the gym and get physically strong so I could hang with the other kids.
"Those habits stayed with me. In particular now, with S.W.A.T., those real officers are huge. I had to get into the gym ahead of the pilot to put on some extra muscle. It's such a physical role and a physical show that I had to already look the part."
Lim says working out hard every day will also prepare him for the meatier roles still to come.
"I've trained myself to stay ready," he says. "So when that audition does come up out of the blue, you go in there, and you deliver the part."
S.W.A.T. is available on Fox (channel 518) on NOW TV in Hong Kong
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