Zack of All Trades

“Oh my goodness!”

When asked what he sees himself doing 10 years from now, 15 year old Lance Lim can barely contain his excitement: “I would love to dive into feature films, most definitely.  I’d really like to play some dramatic roles… and I have every intention to keep on going with music, too.  I just really want to invest in my art and into this industry, you know?” 

Discovered singing at his church when he was only eight years old, Lim won his first role in a student film called Jin.  “After that, my career just snowballed,” he says.   Guest roles on popular television shows such as Fresh Off the Boat and Anger Management followed, as well as a regular role as Runyen, a friend of one of the title characters on NBC’s Growing Up Fisher.

Lim currently stars as a lead cast member on Nickelodeon’s School of Rock, a series based on the 2003 Jack Black movie of the same name. 

His character, a middle school prep student named Zack, plays the guitar in a band formed by his rebellious substitute teacher Dewey Finn (played by Tony Cavalero).  Zack finds his passion playing the guitar, but that passion often collides with serious pressure from his family to be a perfect student. 

Lim explains, “Zack is a reserved child of overbearing parents who learns to walk the line between breaking rules and consequences and embracing himself.”   

Embracing his inner rock star is nothing new for Lim, who played the guitar and sang prior to being cast on School of Rock.  In fact, a quick Google search of his name leads to videos ranging from Lim as a small boy belting out huge songs in audition tapes or at church, to current clips showcasing his performances of solo covers of Jason Mraz and Shawn Mendes songs and jam sessions with friends.  

“I started off singing before I even started acting, so music has been one of the biggest passions in my life, ever since I was young.  I’m so occupied with School of Rock right now, but my music outlet is YouTube, which is amazing.  I’m planning to upload a lot sooner and more consistently in the future.”  As Lim’s career takes off, so do the numbers of views on his YouTube channel.

Among Lim’s most ardent admirers are his Korean-American fans, many of whom look up to him as a role model.  “My mom is from Korea” Lim says, “and she came over to the United States when she was really young.  She adapted to English and is really great at it, but we speak in Korean every day too.  We actually do this thing called ‘Konglish,’ which is like a mixture of English and Korean.”

In addition to his television and YouTube appearances, Lim, who credits Will Smith as a “legend and inspiration,” graced the big screen in the summer hit Independence Day: Insurgence. 

“It was very different than playing a role on television,” Lim says of his time on the blockbuster film set.  “I think in every aspect it was different.  I mean it was just a huge scale, and it was really surreal to be there.”  The experience sparked a desire in Lim, who has always been a fan of action films, to seek more feature film roles in the future.

For now, though, he hopes that School of Rock gets picked up for a third season after its 2016 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Children’s Program.  He looks forward to the rest of Season Two, which dives deeper into some more personal relationships for his character Zack. 

And, despite burgeoning career prospects in television, feature films, and music, Lim makes sure to leave time to enjoy being a teenager in between visits to awards shows and guest appearances. 

“I love swimming, and I really love bowling lately,” he muses,” and I’m a big gamer.  I love video games.  If I’m not outside, I’m usually playing the guitar and singing or playing games and stuff like that.  You know, like every teenager does.”