Playing leading men in Old & Dangerous is ‘rare opportunity’, say senior actors like Chen Shucheng

SINGAPORE – A new local series is out to prove that old is gold. And for the quintet of veteran Singapore actors helming the production, they relished playing leading men in their 60s and 70s – an opportunity they assumed had long passed them by with age.

Premiering on July 27, Old & Dangerous centres on five former elite special forces operatives in their 70s who come together again for a special mission, reigniting their long-dormant warrior spirit.

The 20-episode drama will air on weekdays at 9pm on Channel 8, and will also be available on mewatch from July 27. It stars Chen Shucheng, 76; Richard Low, 74; Zhu Houren, 71; Wang Yuqing, 64; and Li Wenhai, 69.

The senior artistes have co-starred with one another in past projects, but this is the first time all five are in the same drama. Given their familiarity and long-time friendship, working together was a breeze.

Li collaborated with Chen as early as in the 1980s, in the period drama A Long Way Home (1989). He also acted alongside Zhu in the time-travelling drama Blessings (2014), Low in crime drama The Crime Hunters (2004) and Wang in period series The Young Heroes (1985).

Li said at a press event on July 13 at the NTUC Health Active Ageing Centre in Bukit Batok, one of Old & Dangerous’ filming locations: “Everyone knows one another very well, so there are no feelings of awkwardness. We discuss things freely and see if they can be done in the best way possible.”

Zhu added: “We have known one another for 40 years. We joke around and are very playful and friendly with one another. Filming was a hoot.”

Wang, the youngest of the group, said: “Every time we came together, it felt like a reunion of sorts. We could not stop talking.”

This is also the first time all three members of TikTok account The OG Gang – Chen, Low and Zhu – have been cast in the same show, but they said their on-screen characters are different from their social media personas.

Chen, the oldest among the five, who has been acting for over half a century, said: “Here, we play different types of old people. On TikTok, we are more ourselves.”

His character, nicknamed Tiger, is a playful bachelor who is an expert at negotiation. Li plays Eagle, the team leader who uses a wheelchair after sustaining a leg injury.

Wang is brash divorcee Dragon, whose daughter is abducted by phone scammers, while Low acts as peace-loving grandfather Ox. Zhu portrays Panther, a strong-willed widower.

For Chen, getting to play a main character at his age – and on such a platform that showcases seniors and allows them to shine – is “a rare opportunity”. He said: “We played leads in our youth. But as we got older, we gradually played fathers and grandfathers, which are often the supporting characters.”

The timing, he continued, was also very apt. “If we wait, who knows if all five of us will be able to film this?”

Filmed in Singapore and Malaysia from August to December in 2025, Old & Dangerous was also conceptualised with their input.

Zhu said: “Even before the script was written, the five of us were asked to share about our life experiences. So we had a good understanding of the characters because they were written about people our age, with some inspiration from our own lives.

“It covers many aspects of the characters – from their careers to family life to relationships with friends. It seems like only actors under 40 have the opportunity to play roles like this, which give a lot of room to develop their characters.”

Low added: “I think the show will resonate with viewers because many events within are based on true stories. You would think topics about the elderly, such as having to take medicine and facing trouble moving around, would be dry and dull. But I think the show portrays these topics in a very interesting way, and the plot often throws in something unexpected.

“As an actor, our job is to accompany the elderly viewers and bring them joy.”

Li said: “When I first heard the story, the parts felt so big that I was taken aback.

“But thankfully, there are five of us, so we managed to split (the screen time) between ourselves.”

It also helps that Old & Dangerous has flashbacks to past events featuring younger versions of their characters, played by Zhu’s actor-son Joel Choo, Brian Ng, Benzo, Jared Soh and Johnson Lim.

Li joked: “These young faces create a sense of balance, to keep the audience from going, ‘Why are these old faces appearing again and again?’”

Zhu felt that incorporating flashbacks also helped strengthen the drama’s story-telling power, adding: “If we (the older actors) talked only about the past, it would not be as engaging. But when you depict the events, you can convey the sense of joy and sadness that is part of everyone’s youth.”

Although the trailer and publicity materials portray the five as heroes, decked in uniform and combat gear, he does not consider their characters as heroes.

“They just refuse to admit they are old, and want others to know that they can still do things and be together.

“The point of the drama is not the action scenes,” he emphasised. “Rather, it is about reigniting that fearless spirit that can create an explosive force (in one’s life).”

Much of Old & Dangerous also focuses on issues faced by seniors, such as declining health, lost opportunities, difficulty adapting to the modern world and relationships with younger generations.

Several sequences involve combat, gun fights and explosions, which presented challenges, especially given the actors’ ages.

Zhu said that although a stunt double did the crawling for him in some scenes, during the fight scenes, that is all him.

He said: “I can still do the stances and throw the punches. I just cannot be fighting for too long or I will get tired.”

Wang added that in one scene, he had to jump from a height of 2m. He was happy to perform this, as there was a mat below to cushion his fall.

During another sequence, his character had a bottle smashed over his head. Wang recalled: “Although the ‘bottle’ was actually made of wax, there was still some impact when it hit my head, and this left me dazed for a while.”

Low said: “I love that our characters are spirited and energetic. It shows that no matter what stage of life you are in, you can still live a vibrant and fulfilling life.”