Interview: Lance Lim Talks School of Rock, Big-Name Guest Stars, & More! – Exclusive

Lance Lim stars as lead guitarist Zack in the hit Nickelodeon show School of Rock. We chatted with Lance about the show’s recent Creative Arts Emmy nomination, what’s coming up in School of Rock season 2, working with some formidable guest stars and more. Check out our full interview with Lance Lim below!

First of all, congratulations are in order: School of Rock was recently nominated for a Creative Arts Emmy! Where were you when you heard the news? How did you react?

Lance Lim: I was actually working that day, and on my way to set I saw everybody in front of our stage. I went up there and I saw this huge banner across our wall saying “School of Rock has been nominated for an Emmy” and I instantly started freaking out with my cast members. It was a surreal moment.

For readers who haven’t seen School of Rock, can you give us a quick summary of what the show is about and the character you play?

School of Rock follows this group of rule-abiding kids who go to this prestigious prep school as they learn to embrace their independence through the language of rock and roll. I play the role of Zack, who is the band’s lead guitarist. Zack is a reserved child of overbearing parents who learns to walk the fine line between breaking the rules and embracing the independence that Dewy (his teacher) and his bandmates encourage.

Since season 2 of School of Rock premiered in September, we’ve seen your character Zack and the rest of the band use hypnosis to their advantage, perform in disguise, deal with locker-switching drama, and more! Do you have a favorite among the episodes that have already aired? What can we expect from the rest of the season?

My personal favorite out of the episodes that have already aired would have to be the locker-switching episode. I had so much fun learning the ukulele and choreographing that whole routine. You can expect an episode where Breanna Yde (Tomika) and I write a love song together, and it gets interesting.

School of Rock has featured some pretty awesome guest stars including Pete Wentz, Kira Kosarin, Kendall Schmidt, and most recently, pop sensation Daya. Do you get intimidated working with big names, or can you take it all in stride? Was there a particular guest star you found to be especially fun or inspirational?

I definitely fanboy a bit in the inside when I meet them, but I try to keep it contained to the best of my ability. It definitely is such a huge honor getting to work with huge names like that. All of them were so amazingly kind and influential but fun-wise, I would have to say Kendall Schmidt. He’s been with us since season 1 and he’s pretty awesome!

If you could invite any actor or singer (past or present!) to guest star on the show, who would you choose and why?

I would without a doubt want to invite John Mayer to the show for an episode. He is such a legendary guitarist, singer, and one of my favorite artists, so it would just be right!

Your character Zack is the band’s lead guitarist, but your musical endeavors aren’t just confined to School of Rock! You recently posted covers of Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes and Live High by Jason Mraz on your YouTube channel. What made you choose those songs? Any plans to record original music down the road?

I normally like to pick songs that are really groovy and match my voice well, so those were the two that came to mind. I would love to create some original songs down the road; it’s definitely one of my goals.

Beyond School of Rock, you also had a role in the summer blockbuster Independence Day: Resurgence. How does working on a movie compare to working on a TV show? Do you have a preference?

It’s definitely different just because of the locations and budget, but both sets are so much fun to work on. I don’t really have a preference because they’re both so great to me!

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Thanks to Lance Lim for his time! Follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and watch School of Rock Saturday nights at 9:30/8:30c on Nickelodeon.