Low-key but multi-talented, Lance Pimentel is stepping into the spotlight with his breakout role as Kenjie Lee in the action-packed primetime series Incognito.
Not only does he bring his character to life on screen, but he also choreographs the show’s intense fight sequences — all while serving as Chief Technology Officer for his family’s thriving restaurant business.
A graduate of the University of British Columbia with a degree in Business Technology Management, Lance balances his tech role and his passion for action with the help of modern tools. “The answer to that is technology,” he explained. “May technology naman tayo. It’s easier to meet people from meetings, ‘di ba? Mas mahirap siya, pero talagang tiyaga lang and constant supervision lang sa online.”
Though he initially worked behind the scenes, Incognito director and his father, Lester Pimentel Ong, tapped Lance to join the series as both a performer and fight maestro. “When the role was given to me, when they were looking for someone to do a lot of fights in Japan, I grabbed the opportunity,” he shared.
Despite his action expertise, Lance admitted that delivering dialogue was more nerve-wracking than doing stunts. “I was a bit nervous to throw my lines than action itself,” he said. To prepare, he took acting workshops with veteran actress Malou de Guzman and leaned on co-stars for guidance. “DJ (Daniel Padilla) and Baron (Geisler), they constantly give me advice. They’ve been all supportive.”
Shooting in extreme weather conditions posed another challenge. “We shot in -8 degrees,” Lance recalled of their Japan scenes. “It was very challenging because tayong mga Pinoy, hindi tayo sanay sa malamig at nagye-yelo. Working in the snow was really hard. Masakit at mahapdi.”
The snow fight scene with Daniel Padilla was particularly grueling. “When DJ and I did our snow fight, that took eight takes,” he said.
As a stunt choreographer, Lance visualizes scenes the night before — even if they rarely go as planned.
“Paplanuhin ko ‘yun sa gabi, on my own. I will just visualize it hanggang sumakit na ‘yung ulo ko and then I sleep. Sana maalala ko ‘yung chinoreo ko sa utak ko,” he laughed. “Minsan sinusulat ko rin ‘yung mga points… pero pagdating sa set, iba na naman ‘yung layout so you got to adjust.”
He emphasized the value of rehearsal time, noting, “We’re competing with people who have a month to rehearse and a week to shoot. Tayo ngayon on the spot… three hours na shoot kasama na ‘yung rehearse run. So malayong-malayo ‘yung pwede nating gawin if we have the time.”
Lance praised the dedication of the Incognito cast, particularly Daniel Padilla and Anthony Jennings. “Talagang magagaling silang aktor,” he said. “Ang mga eksenang aksyon ay hindi lang tungkol sa paggalaw. Tungkol ito sa pagkukuwento sa pamamagitan ng aksyon.”
He also admired the performance of female co-stars Maris Racal and Kaila Estrada. “You have to be clever,” he explained. “It’s less about brute strength and more about technique, grappling and grace. Their movements need to be more fluid, more calculated. And they nailed it.”
His growing visibility led to surprising moments with fans. “Now I appreciate how much people are watching our show. That’s more than enough for me to appreciate their love for the show,” he said, after being recognized as “Kenjie” in public.
While Incognito is still airing, Lance already has another project in the pipeline. “We have a project coming out with Baron Geisler. Pero it’s finished na. We’ve done it already. For showing na lang sya, within this year, it will be on Netflix.”
Outside entertainment, Lance plays a vital role in his family’s business empire, which includes brands like Dean & Deluca, Wangfu, Kyukyu Ramen, and The Udders Ice Cream. “I’m the CTO. I’m the Chief Technological Officer. I handled mga technology projects namin, mga tech project. And also part of the marketing team there.”
On the personal front, Lance has been in a relationship for three years with Binibining Pilipinas Grand International 2016 Nicole Cordoves. “Walang isyu kung seven years older sa akin ‘yung karelasyon,” he said.
And what’s his ultimate dream? “Dream project talaga, the main goal is to do something na Hollywood level. Like I have my heroes like Donnie Yen, Jackie Chan. Why not, right? It’s a dream to work with those guys.”
