David Lim on the New CBS Series ‘S.W.A.T.’ [Exclusive Interview]

S.W.A.T. is a brand new CBS series that follows a locally born and bred S.W.A.T. lieutenant in Los Angeles who is torn between loyalty to the streets and duty to his fellow officers.

One of those officers is Victor Tan, played by David Lim, an officer who made a name for himself in the Hollywood Division before advancing through the L.A.P.D. and Metro S.W.A.T. Now he works alongside Hondo (Shemar Moore) to capture the city’s toughest criminals.

I recently spoke with David Lim about what viewers can expect from the series, the training he underwent for the role, and following his interest in acting.

“A thrill-ride with heart,” said Lim, when asked to describe S.W.A.T. in a few words.

Lim was an eleventh-hour addition to the freshman procedural, and his road to the role had a few unexpected twists and turns.

“I was in New York at the time, and I had just finished filming with Quantico, and I got an appointment to come in and read for S.W.A.T. I actually read for two different roles when I started the audition process,” said Lim.

“I met with CBS and in New York and did a couple of auditions, and then I moved back to my place here in L.A., because like I said I had finished filming Quantico,” Lim remembered. “The next day, right after I moved back, after living in New York for a year, I went in for a callback for S.W.A.T. and I met with Justin Lin and Shawn Ryan, the executive producer, and Aaron Tomas, the executive producer.”

When Lim was called back for an audition for S.W.A.T., he thought his chances of getting the role where slim, mostly due to the character’s description.

“This was now, I believe my third audition. At the time I was reading for a role whose description said he was in his late 40s. So I knew that I wasn’t the best match for the part, but I wanted to go in and give a good audition,” said Lim.

Lim didn’t get the role he was reading for, and although he wasn’t surprised, he still wanted to be a part of the project and was excited when they called him back offering him the role of Victor Tan.

“I remember, an hour after the callback, my manager calls me up and says ‘Hey! It’s not going to happen on S.W.A.T.‘ And of course I was bummed. I loved the script, and I really wanted to be part of the project, but at the same time, I totally understood. I wasn’t really a good fit for that part I was reading for.”

“So I had moved on, and I was off auditioning for some other projects. About a week later I got a call from my agent, saying that S.W.A.T. had cast me in the part of Victor Tan, and they offered me a role!” Lim explained.

Victor Tan wasn’t one of the characters that Lim originally read for, but he later discovered that the character was created for him.

“I was like, ‘Wait, a second! Victor Tan? That wasn’t in the pilot! There was no character description for this guy!'” said Lim. “What had happened is, they actually created this role for me, and so I was obviously over the moon. And that’s how it happened. A week later I’m doing tactical training, and a few days after that I’m on set filming the pilot with Justin Lin.”

“That was a thing that was really important to us, is bringing this aspect of realism to the show, and looking like we are actual S.W.A.T. officers who have, you know, been part of a team together for years.”

As part of tactical training, the cast worked with San Diego S.W.A.T. officers, L.A.P.D. S.W.A.T. officers, and former Navy SEALs to learn how to apply some of their skills to the series.

“We did a little bit of training before the pilot, but when we got picked up and we went to series, we really kind of clocked in and did a full week of tactical training, just making sure we knew how to enter a building where there’s a threat, how to clear rooms, and how to move as a fluid unit,” explained Lim.

The partnership with law enforcement has gone a long way to making the show believable, but Lim also stressed that they’re still learning.

“We worked really hard, and we had some great, great S.W.A.T. officers who really guided us, and helped us get to where we are, and we’re still learning. Some of these guys have been doing it for twenty, thirty years, and we had a week to make it believable,” he said.

“But it’s something that’s really important to us, we’re always paying really close attention and working with these officers. They come to set whenever we do anything tactical or have to do any of these action sequences. We’re kind of honoring the guys who do this for real, by making it as real as possible,” Lim reflected.

Before his role on S.W.A.T., Lim also guest starred on Supergirl, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and Criminal Minds. When asked about any memorable experiences from his career so far, Lim couldn’t pick a favorite, but Criminal Minds was significant because of one of his current guest stars.

“I think that each role is always fun,” said Lim. “Something that obviously stands out is Criminal Minds, I think that was maybe two years ago.”

“I came on for one day, I was there for about four hours,” Lim remembered. “I did one scene, and it was with Shemar [Moore] and Aisha Tyler. So now I’ve come full circle, and a couple years later I’m working with Shemar again, and we’re on the same S.W.A.T. team.”

“And he remembered. He remembered that scene. I was kind of playing this cocky CEO, and he was coming in and questioning me. I just remember him, in the few hours I got to spend on the scene, being such a nice guy and welcoming me to his show,” Lim said.

Lim also discussed how S.W.A.T. is the perfect blend of some of his favorite genres.

“I love drama. I love thrillers. I love action. And I feel like S.W.A.T. is the dream role for me. It has everything that I love. It’s action-packed. I grew up playing three sports, and I was always running around as a kid with NERF guns, and playing Cops and Robbers.”

“When I got into this business, I always imagined myself being an action hero, and so, to get to do this, we’re basically on a team of action heroes. It’s so fulfilling, and the writing has been so strong, so I think it’s got such a beautiful blend of action and story, and character development,” said Lim.

“Obviously the pilot has a ton of action sequences, but as go into the series, you’ll start to learn more about who these characters are and we’re going to tackle some very interesting, relevant topics,” Lim teased.

Lim’s road to being an actor is a really interesting one. He didn’t study acting, and he actually had a couple of jobs before he decided to pursue this profession.

“I never wanted to be an actor. I don’t come from a family of artists or entertainers. I went to college and studied electrical engineering, and so when I graduated, I kind of realized I wasn’t cut out for it, or that it wasn’t really what I wanted to do,” said Lim.

“I ended up getting my real estate license, getting a job in the mortgage industry, and I was working there for two to three years. I liked my job. I was making good money. I thought I was going to work my way up the corporate ladder.”

“I think it was a quarter-life crisis, type thing,” explained Lim. “I felt like I was meant to do something else, and I was kind of bored at my job. I was just looking for another profession or something else to do for work,” Lim admitted.

Even though he never wanted to be an actor, he did have an interest in the craft.

“I’ve always been interested in acting and modeling, but I don’t come from a family of artists and actors, so I had no clue how to go about this and get into it,” said Lim. “Like anyone, I just kind of went to the internet, to Google, and typed in ‘How to Become an Actor,’ I looked up some acting classes, looked up how to get an agent, sent some photos out.”

Even though his leap of faith worked out, Lim does describe feeling like he was playing catch up for a period of time.

“One thing led to another, and I eventually moved up to L.A., signed with my first agent, and I got into an acting class. That’s when I really fell in love with the craft, but I felt like I was so behind the eight ball,” said Lim.

“I thought, ‘Well, I’ve got people who have been doing this for years. I have to study my behind off and catch up,'” explained Lim. “So, I just worked really hard and studied as much as I could. I was always in class and working on scenes, and I just came to a point where I thought ‘This is really cool, I love this, and I would love to do this as a profession if I can make money at it.”

Lim then quit his job and continued to work on his craft.

“I believed that if I worked hard, I could be successful or at least realize my potential in the industry. I didn’t know what that was yet, and I just went for it. I took a risk and chased this dream,” said Lim.

When it comes to his own DVR and Netflix queue, Lim has been watching Stranger Things Season 2, Ozark, SEAL Team,

“There is so much good television on so many different outlets that it’s almost overwhelming,” said Lim.

You can catch David Lim on S.W.A.T. airing Thursdays at 10/9c on CBS.

*Featured image credit: Gary Fitzpatrick

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