David Lim has brought Asian representation to eight seasons of ‘S.W.A.T.’

Ahead of S.W.A.T.’s midseason finale on Dec. 13, Lim opened up to JoySauce about why he never thought acting was a realistic career path, how his S.W.A.T. character was specifically created for him, and the storylines that have stayed with him the most over eight seasons.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Philiana Ng: S.W.A.T. is in the middle of its eighth season. How are you feeling about being on a TV show this long?
David Lim: It’s not easy to entertain people for this long. We all feel that we have more stories to give and tell, beyond a season eight, which is amazing. I was talking to Jay Harrington, who is my trailermate and also my co-star, and he just celebrated his birthday, and I said, “Can you believe we’ve been on this show for 10 years?” I think we both hoped we would make it to that point.

PN: Procedurals also provide an opportunity for diversity among the cast and the characters that we see. What are your thoughts on being part of an ensemble that features characters of different cultural backgrounds?
DL: It’s reflective of what the LAPD looks like. We had a chance to visit with law enforcement and it’s very diverse, and you got to give credit to CBS, Sony, and our creatives Shawn Ryan and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, who put together a diverse cast. I always say you have to have diversity behind the camera as well, and we have that with our writers. I’m proud to be part of a show that is inclusive, where everybody can watch the show and feel represented or seen.

PN: What has been the most gratifying part about playing Tan?
DL: I still feel like we’re fleshing out parts of the Tan character even though he’s gone on such a journey. He started as a new officer on the team, now he’s a senior member. He’s taken over S.W.A.T. Academy. He’s gotten married, divorced, and found new love this season. I personally have evolved with this character in the last eight years. I also got married, so that’s been cool to evolve with this character.

One of the things I’m proud of is—whenever my wife (Marketa Kazdova) and I travel internationally—when people come up to me on the street, the first thing out of their mouth is that they love the show and they love Tan. To play a character that resonates with people and who people look up to (is special). Someone sent us a photo of their kids dressed up like Hondo (Shemar Moore) and Tan. It’s fun kicking down doors, running after people on foot, getting into fights, blowing stuff up, car chases, hanging off helicopters—that stuff never gets old.

PN: Has there been a storyline with Tan that has resonated with you?
DL: In season two, we did an episode revolving around a school shooting that was extremely powerful and poignant, and done with great care by our writers. We recently filmed an episode about child abduction and that always hits home; I have little nephews and nieces. This season, I like where the Tan character is headed. He’s balancing a mentorship and a leadership role with some of the newer officers. When you talk about the character evolving, I never did that in the early seasons, and now we’re getting into that eight seasons later.

PN: You grew up in the Bay Area. What kind of upbringing did you have? Did you ever anticipate acting to be a possible career path?
DL: I never thought (acting) was a possibility. (My) mom and dad had normal nine to fives their entire lives; she worked for a San Francisco Bay air quality company and my dad was a CPA for many years. So it was definitely not in the cards growing up. I thought I would become an engineer. I realized I didn’t want to do engineering and became a loan officer for two to three years after college. When I was 25, I wanted to try something different—I wasn’t feeling challenged.

I always loved movies and television, and back then you never saw many Asian characters on TV. If you did, it was a couple lines or it was a stereotypical role. I would spend my downtime at work looking up how you get into acting and I did it all myself. I quit my job and I was like, “I’m going to try this.” My parents were shocked and they weren’t necessarily supportive, but they didn’t fight me on it. That was enough for me and that’s what I did. I got headshots and started sending them out to agencies. I got into an acting class and eventually moved up to L.A. and here we are. That was in 2009. It took a little time to get something steady but now my parents are super proud.

PN: Was there a specific character or actor you were watching back then that inspired you to embark on this acting journey?
DL: There were definitely actors I looked up to that inspired me. I grew up loving Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, and Leonardo DiCaprio. I didn’t really think about (the fact) that they weren’t Asian because I didn’t have many movie stars to look up to as an Asian American kid growing up in the Bay Area. Obviously now things have changed and gone in a better direction, particularly for Asian American actors. There’s more visibility, more representation. Hopefully some kid out there can watch S.W.A.T. and feel seen or at least feel like this is possible. “I can become an actor.” Part of the reason I didn’t think acting was possible as a kid growing up is because I didn’t see anybody who looked exactly like me, so you think, “I shouldn’t bother doing that. It can’t be done.”

PN: Is there an actor in the Asian community who you think is doing amazing work?
DL: I love Awkwafina. She’s so talented and funny; she does superhero movies, she does comedy, she does drama. It’s cool to see Michelle Yeoh, later in her career, doing all these amazing roles and winning an Oscar.

PN: What has changed the most from when you started on S.W.A.T. to now?
DL: When I started on S.W.A.T., there wasn’t a character written for an Asian American actor. They created the Tan role (for me). I actually went in and read for two other parts that were for white actors. They told me “no” on S.W.A.T. when I was auditioning, and then a week later, I found out they created a role for me to join the team. Yes, S.W.A.T. has Asian representation but it took creating a character for that to happen. Of course, there’s always work to be done. But you’ve seen Asian superheroes with Shang-Chi and Simu Liu. I remember Crazy Rich Asians, when that came out, and one of the first times you had a multi-Asian cast in a blockbuster feature. There are so many talented Asian actors—male and female—out there. There are more coming up because they see that it’s possible and that it can be done.

PN: You started a jewelry company with your wife. Can you tell us about it?
DL: My wife and I started a jewelry company called Maya David, and we hand make jewelry in our home studio. How it started is we had a break-in at our home and all of our jewelry that we had—all these memories that we cherished—was stolen and it was a heartbreaking experience. My wife and I, we’re optimistic people, so we wanted to turn that experience into something positive. We taught ourselves how to hand make jewelry. It was therapeutic for us and our friends told us, “You guys have to sell these designs.” We spent the better part of the year making inventory and in our free time, designing and doing all the little things you have to do to start a business. The pieces reflect our journey together and we hope that people who wear our stuff also feel that and appreciate the thoughtful designs we’ve put together.