# Jessika Van
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{{short description|American actress}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jessika Van
| image =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|5|28|df=y}}
| birth_place = [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles), [California](/source/California), U.S.
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 2006–present
}}
'''Jessika Van''' ({{Lang-zh|c=范立美}}, [pinyin](/source/pinyin): ''Fàn Lìměi''; born May 28, 1991) is an American actress. Van is most known for playing "Becca," the ringleader of the Asians or the Asian mafia in Season 2 and Season 3 of MTV's ''[Awkward.](/source/Awkward.)''[Philiana Ng, The Hollywood Reporter, 'Awkward' Cast, Creator Reveal 10 Teases for Season 2, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/awkward-season-2-spoilers-340851]['Awkward' Cast Reveal 7 Teases for End of Season 2, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/awkward-season-2-spoilers-matty-jake-jenna-370169][Scott Eriksson, Asians on Film, Jessika Van Interview: Reunion, Bang Bang & MTV's Awkard, http://www.asiansonfilm.com/2012/05/jessika-van-interview-reunion-bang-bang-mtvs-awkward/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710213315/http://www.asiansonfilm.com/2012/05/jessika-van-interview-reunion-bang-bang-mtvs-awkward/ |date=2012-07-10 }}] She also played Kim, a Hong Kong Police Officer and sister of Detective Lee in the ''[Rush Hour](/source/Rush_Hour_(U.S._TV_series))'' television series.[Nellie Andreeva, Aimee Garcia Cast In CBS’ ‘Rush Hour’, https://deadline.com/2015/03/aimee-garcia-cast-rush-hour-cbs-pilot-jessika-van-1201387878/] She has also starred as the antagonist "Li Xue" in the 2019 12-episode Chinese series ''Yolk Man (蛋黄人)''.
==Career==
Van starred as Grace Park opposite [Justin Chon](/source/Justin_Chon) (who plays love interest Sid Park) in [Benson Lee](/source/Benson_Lee)'s film ''Seoul Searching'', which premiered as an official selection of the 2015 [Sundance Film Festival](/source/Sundance_Film_Festival).[{{Cite web |last=Chang |first=Justin |date=2014-12-08 |title=Sundance Film Festival Announces 2015 Premieres Lineup |url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/sundance-film-festival-announces-2015-premieres-lineup-1201373535/ |access-date=2023-11-22 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}] She also played the role of the Sports Bar Waitress in the film ''[The Gambler](/source/The_Gambler_(2014_film))'' (2014) in a scene opposite both [John Goodman](/source/John_Goodman) and [Mark Wahlberg](/source/Mark_Wahlberg) where she remarks to Wahlberg not to pin the choice of beer on her; the film was directed by [Rupert Wyatt](/source/Rupert_Wyatt) and written by Oscar-award-winning screenwriter [William Monahan](/source/William_Monahan). Van also starred as Annie in Junya Sakino's ''[Sake-Bomb](/source/Sake-Bomb)'' (2013) (also written by Jeff Mizushima) which premiered at the 2013 [SXSW](/source/SXSW) Film Festival.[Ryland Aldrich, Twitch, SXSW 2013 Exclusive: Trailer Debut for SAKE-BOMB, http://twitchfilm.com/2013/02/sxsw-2013-exclusive-trailer-debut-for-sake-bomb.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130301072652/http://twitchfilm.com/2013/02/sxsw-2013-exclusive-trailer-debut-for-sake-bomb.html |date=2013-03-01 }}][Actress and Life Obsession, SXSW Hotties to Crave in 2013, http://gornoblonde.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/sxswhottiestocravein2013/] She also starred in [Byron Q](/source/Byron_Q)'s film ''Bang Bang'' (2011),[{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588353/|title = Bang Bang|website = [IMDb](/source/IMDb)}}] which won a Special Jury Award for Best First Feature, Narrative, at the 2011 [Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival](/source/Los_Angeles_Asian_Pacific_Film_Festival).[Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, AWARD WINNERS, {{cite web|url=http://asianfilmfestla.org/2012/fest-info/award-winners/ |title=AWARD WINNERS | Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival |access-date=2011-10-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110111000/http://asianfilmfestla.org/2012/fest-info/award-winners/ |archive-date=2012-01-10 }}] She also starred as Mia Ho in Danny Roth's feature comedy ''[Foreign Exchange](/source/Foreign_Exchange_(2008_film))'' (2008).
Van played the reoccurring character "Koa Lin" on [CW](/source/The_CW)'s ''[The Messengers](/source/The_Messengers_(TV_series))''. Van also played the reoccurring character "Becca", the ringleader of the Asians, and the primary antagonist to Ming Huang ([Jessica Lu](/source/Jessica_Lu)) on MTV's ''[Awkward.](/source/Awkward.)'' Van has also appeared on other TV shows such as playing a Goth character named "Sunshine" on Disney's ''[A.N.T. Farm](/source/A.N.T._Farm)'', playing "Stacey Tan" in the 2009 ''[Without A Trace](/source/Without_A_Trace)'' episode "Devotion," opposite [David Huynh](/source/David_Huynh), and playing the younger Nikki Sun (Nikki Sun '89) on an episode of ''[Cold Case](/source/Cold_Case_(TV_series))'', "Triple Threat" (2008).
Van had also been cast as Kim, the Hong Kong Police Officer that is also the younger sister of Detective Lee (played by [Jon Foo](/source/Jon_Foo)) in the ''Rush Hour'' television series based on the ''[Rush Hour](/source/Rush_Hour_(film_series))'' series of films.[Nellie Andreeva, Aimee Garcia Cast In CBS’ ‘Rush Hour’, https://deadline.com/2015/03/aimee-garcia-cast-rush-hour-cbs-pilot-jessika-van-1201387878/]
She has also provided the voice of "Akira" on ''[Uncle Grandpa](/source/Uncle_Grandpa)'' on [Cartoon Network](/source/Cartoon_Network). She was also a voice actor for multiple kickball characters in an episode of the animated television series ''[The Boondocks](/source/The_Boondocks_(TV_series)).''[PRLog, Producer/Director Timothy Tau Guest Stars on EOE to Publicize Megan Lee's New Video DESTINY, http://www.prlog.org/11665538-producerdirector-timothy-tau-guests-on-eoe-to-publicize-megan-lees-new-video-destiny.html]
Van also appeared as "The Star" in [Megan Lee](/source/Megan_Lee)'s Music Video for Destiny, directed by Timothy Tau, as "Babe" in a comedy sketch YouTube video by [The Fung Brothers](/source/The_Fung_Brothers) about [Jeremy Lin](/source/Jeremy_Lin) entitled "The Jeremy Lin Effect 2 (Linsanity)" also directed by Timothy Tau. She also appears as Casey in the web series ''It! People'', Yuri in ''The Real Housewives of Horror'', and as Carly in the web series ''Faulty Premise Life.'' She has also appeared in various videos by [The Fung Brothers](/source/The_Fung_Brothers).
Van also starred as the main character, Tess, in Kai-Ting Tiffany Wu's short film ''Paper Lotus'', which has screened at the [Newport Beach Film Festival](/source/Newport_Beach_Film_Festival),[Newport Beach Film Festival, http://newportbeach.festivalgenius.com/2013/films/paperlotus_kaitingwu_newportbeach2013] the [Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films](/source/Palm_Springs_International_Festival_of_Short_Films),[Paper Lotus, Palm Springs Short Fest, http://www.psfilmfest.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=24579&FID=68 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108212556/http://www.psfilmfest.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=24579&FID=68 |date=2014-01-08 }}] as well as the [Taipei Film Festival](/source/Taipei_Film_Festival).[Taipei Film Festival, Short Film Listing, http://www.taipeiff.org.tw/Content.aspx?FwebID=fa5a911e-5c80-4b1a-87e6-9642deb98bee {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160522184933/http://www.taipeiff.org.tw/Content.aspx?FwebID=fa5a911e-5c80-4b1a-87e6-9642deb98bee |date=2016-05-22 }}] Van also stars in Jason Z. Wong's film ''Reunion'' alongside Tadamori Yagi, which has screened at the [Boston International Film Festival](/source/Boston_International_Film_Festival), the [LA Shorts Fest](/source/LA_Shorts_Fest), the [Newport Beach Film Festival](/source/Newport_Beach_Film_Festival) and the [Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival](/source/Los_Angeles_Asian_Pacific_Film_Festival).[Reunion Short Film, News, http://www.reunionshortfilm.com/category/news/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108211850/http://www.reunionshortfilm.com/category/news/ |date=2014-01-08 }}] For her role as Hannah in that film, she won a Best Actress award at the 2013 Asians on Film Festival.[{{cite web |url=http://www.asiansonfilm.com/2013/01/asians-on-film-festival-winners-2013/ |title=Asians on Film Festival WINNERS 2013! |access-date=2015-07-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714064017/http://www.asiansonfilm.com/2013/01/asians-on-film-festival-winners-2013/ |archive-date=2015-07-14 }}] She also appeared as [Victoria Horne](/source/Victoria_Horne)/Nabura in Timothy Tau's short film bio-pic, ''[Keye Luke](/source/Keye_Luke_(film)).'' Other short films she has appeared in include Chen Huang's ''Tea'' (opposite [Archie Kao](/source/Archie_Kao) and [James Kyson Lee](/source/James_Kyson_Lee)), Sue Palmer's ''Road to Nanking'', Danny Huang's ''The Promise'' with Christopher Dinh and Leonard Wu, Lior Chefetz' ''The Godmother'' (alongside [Ron Yuan](/source/Ron_Yuan)), Rafael F. Garcia's ''The Moral Thief'', Sebastian Stenhoj's ''To Live and Dine in L.A.'' (alongside [David Hasselhoff](/source/David_Hasselhoff)), and as Marilyn Monroe impersonator "Marilyn" in Maura Milan's ''Koreatown.''
She also co-stars as the antagonist "Li Xue" in the 2019 Chinese TV series ''蛋黄人/Yolk Man'' in 2019.
Van also played the role of Anna in the [Chris Blake](/source/Chris_Blake) quarantine comedy, ''[Distancing Socially](/source/Distancing_Socially)'' filmed remotely at the height of the pandemic using the iPhone 11. The film was acquired and released by Cinedigm in October 2021.[{{Cite web |last=Malkin |first=Marc |date=2020-10-07 |title='Schitt's Creek' Actor Sarah Levy Cast in COVID-Inspired Indie 'Distancing Socially' (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/schitts-creek-sarah-levy-distancing-socially-1234796488/ |access-date=2023-11-22 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}]
In 2022, Van starred as Harper in the crime-comedy film ''Rattled'' and as Jessica in the film ''Hollywood Christmas''.
==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|2008
|''[Foreign Exchange](/source/Foreign_Exchange_(2008_film))''
|Mia Ho
|[{{Cite web |date=2008 |title=Foreign Exchange |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1146283/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=IMDb}}]
|-
|2011
|''[Bang Bang](/source/Bang_Bang_(2011_film))''
|Jenn
|[{{Cite web |date=2011 |title=Bang Bang |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588353/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=IMDb}}]
|-
|2011
|''Reunion''
|Hannah
|Short film[{{Cite web |date=2012 |title=Keye Luke |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2181987/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=IMDb}}]
|-
|2013
|''[Sake-Bomb](/source/Sake-Bomb)''
|Annie
|[{{Cite web |date=2013 |title=Sake Bomb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2314414/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=IMDb}}]
|-
|2014
|''[The Gambler](/source/The_Gambler_(2014_film))''
|Sports Bar Waitress
|[{{Cite web |date=2014 |title=The Gambler |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2039393/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=IMDb}}]
|-
|2015
|''[Seoul Searching](/source/Seoul_Searching)''
|Grace Park
|[{{Cite web |date=2015 |title=Seoul Searching |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4034354/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=IMDb}}][{{Cite news |last=Kilday |first=Gregg |date=2015-04-14 |title=Los Angeles Film Festival to Screen MTV’s ‘Scream’ Series |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/los-angeles-film-festival-screen-788741/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202191925/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/los-angeles-film-festival-screen-788741/ |archive-date=2022-12-02 |access-date=2026-04-23 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}]
|-
|2016
|''[Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates](/source/Mike_and_Dave_Need_Wedding_Dates)''
|Jessika the Girl in Street
|[{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2823054/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=IMDb}}]
|-
|2017
|Luna
|Luna
|Short film[{{Cite web |date=2017 |title=Luna |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6957104/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=IMDb}}]
|-
|2021
|''[Distancing Socially](/source/Distancing_Socially)''
|Anna
|[{{Cite web |date=2021 |title=Distancing Socially |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9248000/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=IMDb}}][{{Cite news |last=Shanfeld |first=Ethan |date=2021-08-18 |title=Alan Tudyk, Sarah Levy Navigate Quarantine Life in ‘Distancing Socially’ Trailer (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/distancing-socially-alan-tudyk-sarah-levy-trailer-1235039755/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-23 |work=Variety|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818223812/https://variety.com/2021/film/news/distancing-socially-alan-tudyk-sarah-levy-trailer-1235039755/|archive-date=2021-08-18}}]
|-
|2022
|''A Hollywood Christmas''
|Jessica
|TV movie on HBO Max[{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=A Hollywood Christmas |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21950514/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=IMDb}}][{{Cite web |date=2026-04-27 |title=HBO MAX |url=https://www.hbomax.com/movies/hollywood-christmas/f3fcc6df-5bc8-49c1-8a34-e01334b71aa9 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250819033050/https://www.hbomax.com/movies/hollywood-christmas/f3fcc6df-5bc8-49c1-8a34-e01334b71aa9 |archive-date=2025-08-19 |access-date=2026-04-27 |website=HBO MAX}}]
|-
|2026
|Grind
|Sarah
|[{{Cite web |date=2026 |title=Grind |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33096650/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=IMDb}}][{{Cite web |date=2026 |title=SXSW |url=https://schedule.sxsw.com/films/2241478 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-23 |website=SXSW}}]
|-
|2026
|Making Space: A Goodbye Love Story
|Cece
|Short film; screened at Beverly Hills Film Festival[{{cite web |title=Making Space: A Goodbye Love Story |url=https://beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com/film/making-space-a-goodbye-love-story/ |access-date=2026-04-21 |website=Beverly Hills Film Festival|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260424071057/https://beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com/film/making-space-a-goodbye-love-story/|archive-date=2026-04-24|url-status=live}}]
|}
===Television===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|2010
| ''[The Boondocks](/source/The_Boondocks_(TV_series))''
| Wushung Player
| Voice role; episode: "The Red Ball"
|-
|2011
| ''Faulty Premise Life''
| Carly
| 4 episodes
|-
|2013
| ''It! People''
| Casey
| 4 episodes
|-
|2012–2013
| ''[Awkward](/source/Awkward_(TV_series))''
| [Becca](/source/List_of_Awkward_characters)
| Recurring role, 6 episodes
|-
|2014
| ''[Uncle Grandpa](/source/Uncle_Grandpa)''
| Akira
| Voice role; episode: "Big in Japan"
|-
|2014
| ''The Real Housewives of Horror''
| Yuri
| 3 episodes
|-
|2015
| ''[The Messengers](/source/The_Messengers_(TV_series))''
| Koa Lin
| Main role
|-
|2016
| ''[Rush Hour](/source/Rush_Hour_(American_TV_series))''
| MSS Agent Kim Lee
| Recurring role, 5 episodes
|-
|2019
| ''Yolk Man'' (蛋黄人)
| Li Xue
| 5 episodes
|-
|2020
| ''Bulge Bracket''
| Cathy
| 6 episodes
|-
|2021
| ''[iCarly](/source/iCarly_(2021_TV_series))''
| Julia
| Episode: "iRobot Wedding"
|-
|2022
| ''[The Rookie](/source/The_Rookie_(TV_series))''
| Monica Ditmar
| Episode: "Mother's Day"
|-
|2022
| ''[Paper Girls](/source/Paper_Girls_(TV_series))''
| Adult Missy Tieng
| Episodes: "It Was Never About the Corn", "Matinee"
|-
|2022
| ''[American Horror Stories](/source/American_Horror_Stories)''
| Poppy
| Episode: "Necro"
|-
|2023
| ''[Grey's Anatomy](/source/Grey's_Anatomy)''
| Marni Young
| Episode: "Training Day"
|-
|2023
|''[Justified: City Primeval](/source/Justified%3A_City_Primeval)''
|Hina
|Episode: "[Kokomo](/source/Kokomo_(Justified%3A_City_Primeval))"
|}
===Video game===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 2013
| ''[Battlefield 4](/source/Battlefield_4)''
| Huang "Hannah" Shuyi{{cn|date=August 2022}}
|
|-
| 2025
| ''[Call of Duty: Black Ops 7](/source/Call_of_Duty%3A_Black_Ops_7)''
| Wei Lin
| [{{cite web|title=Jessika Van (visual voices guide)|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Jessika-Van/|access-date=2025-11-18|website=behindthevoiceactors.com|type= A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information}}]
|}
==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Work
! Result
! Refs
|-
| rowspan=2| 2013
| [Los Angeles Movie Awards](/source/Los_Angeles_Film_Festival)
| [Best Actress](/source/Los_Angeles_Film_Festival)
| {{center|''Paper Lotus''}}
| {{won}}
| [{{Cite web |date=2013 |title=Los Angeles Movie Awards |url=https://thelamovieawards.com/2013_Winners.html |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=Los Angeles Movie Awards|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260108040101/https://thelamovieawards.com/2013_Winners.html|archive-date=2026-01-08}}]
|-
| Asians On Film Festival
| Best Actress – Short
| {{center|''Reunion''}}
| {{won}}
| {{center|