[2025.12.26] LOUIS KOO AND RAYMOND LAM VALUE THEIR MASTER-APPRENTICE RELATIONSHIP

Raymond Lam sees Louis Koo as his mentor both on and off screen

Louis Koo praises Raymond Lam for being more mature and stable.
courtesy of on.cc

:Louis Koo and Raymond Lam are master and apprentice in BACK TO THE PAST, in reality they are also like teacher and friend. Raymond Lam says when he left TVB he also asked Koo for advice.

The film BACK TO THE PAST revolves around Louis Koo and Raymond Lam's master apprentice fracture

Jessica Hsuan is well maintained and not much different from in the series 20 years ago. Louis Koo says that Michael Miu has a commanding presence on the set and is suitable for the film's villain role.
courtesy of mingpao.com

After a quarter of a century of waiting, the classic time-travel drama "A STEP INTO THE PAST (CHUM CHUN GEI)" finally appeared on the big screen as the movie BACK TO THE PAST not only with original cast members Louis Koo Tin Lok (Goo Jai), Raymond Lam Fung, Jessica Hester Hsuan (Suen Huen), etc. but also added new characters Bai Baihe, Kevin Chu Kam Yin, Michael Miu Kiu Wai, Wu Yue, etc., to jointly interpret this legend that span time and space. The movie would not only carry the collective memories of the audience, but also continue the profound master- apprentice relationship and life philosophy in the series. Goo Jai and Lam Fung shared their filming experiences, as well as the persistence and cherishing behind this long wait. Both of them cherished this master-apprentice fate, Goo Jai praised Lam Fung's acting skills for improving and becoming mature, and said that if "BACK TO THE PAST" did well at the box office, he would be willing to make a sequel.

The movie BACK TO THE PAST was finally released after years of preparation. Also the director and star, Goo Jai said that he was very happy. "Over the years even if the movie has not been officially released, I have heard many people on the Internet say that the theme song would give them 'goosebumps' as soon as it plays and all the memories would come back. This drama is the first time-travel drama in Asia. As the originator of time-travel drama, being able to return with the original cast is not only a beautiful memory, but also a kind of commemoration." He revealed that he would relive it every two or three years, but the movie version was not a direct remake. Instead it told the story more than ten years later, focusing on the changes and fractures in the master-apprentice relationship between Hong Siu Lung and King of Qin Chiu Poon.

Lam Fung was also full of emotion. "I was moved, because it was really not easy. To be able to continue the story twenty years later and gather the original cast is all thanks to the persistence of the boss (Goo Jai)." He mentioned that the pressure did not come from the work of the past, but how to bring new breakthroughs and surprises while maintaining the audience's expectations in the continuation. "Goo Jai shared the first version of the story with me and Suen Huen many years ago, and I have been waiting for it until now. Although I waited for a few years, its release should be the best arrangement now."

In and out of the film, the two also continued their master- apprentice friendship. Lam Fung admitted that Goo Jai has always been his master. "Whether it is acting or how to deal with people, he has been teaching me by example. During filming I saw him juggling the heavy work of starring and producing, which was very hard but also powerful. He reminded us to do our duty well. (Were you overwhelmed by Goo Jai's aura on the set?) I've already gotten used to this, haha." Goo Jai praised Lam Fung's growth, "From being a rookie then to the present, he has continued to improve, become more mature and stable. This film is just like reality, everyone must learn to cherish it as they grow up, cherish the fate of master and apprentice, family and friendship."

In one scene they looked at each other and "cried" with real emotions. Lam Fung said that before the shoot they did not rehearse the scene, their emotions were natural and they only needed two takes to complete it. Due to the limited run time and in order to keep the pace, Koo Tin Lok said that many of the essence yet funny scenes were removed like him cooking a heart shaped steak for Suen Huen. He said that if the opportunity would arise these unreleased scenes would appear in another way, but he has not yet considered releasing an "extended version" because that would require inspection and take more time.

Speaking of the added new characters, such as the Miu Kiu Wai played villain, Goo Jai explained, "The film needs an actor with a commanding presence, which can not only make the audience feel that it is a continuation of the TV series, but also a new story many years later. He is the most suitable choice." As for bringing the original team together, he said that coordinating their schedules was not the most difficult. For example Tang Lai Ming also took leave to participate in the filming. Yet due to the large number of actors, the allocations of group and character scenes were indeed difficult. "Because the TV series had 40 episodes, it had a lot of time to explain the relationships, emotions, crises, etc. between each character; yet this time has been condensed into a movie, some roles would have the chance to be more while others less; this time focuses on the relationship between me and my two wives (Suen Huen and Kwok Sin Nei), as well as Lam Fung's family. This would be easier to deal with; but a group of villains have also been added, so there are really a lot of things to deal with."

The design of the action scenes combined the plot setting and the imagination of the times. Goo Jai pointed out, "The time machine in the story appeared in the 90s of the last century, as we envisioned the development of technology more than ten years later. There was no AI or robots at the time of filming, but we tried to create bold imagination within the limits."

Goo Jai and Lam Fung sang the new version of the theme song "The Highest Destiny", which became a hot topic. Once the "My Favorite Male Singer" award winner, has Goo Jai returned to the music scene? He said humorously, "I have never left the music scene, I can still win awards I have won again, haha!" He revealed that the opportunity came from everyone's enthusiastic response when he was a guest at Lam Fung's concert, with the momentum they later recorded a duet version of "Destiny". As for a sequel, he admitted that he would like to but it would depend on the box office. He emphasized that one would very rarely encounter a timeless work like "BACK TO THE PAST".

In addition, some online said that Suen Huen's appearance has changed the least among the cast like she had preservatives. Goo Jai joked that now a lot of food have added preservatives and everyone have had them. "If she really hasn't changed at all it would be frightening, so it's not that she hasn't changed but she has been well maintained. In my heart, everyone are still handsome guys and beautiful girls."