Local actors Tosh Zhang, Maxi Lim and Noah Yap have returned for Jack Neo’s upcoming film Ah Boys to Firefighters, this time as Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers.
“We had to convince Jack to let us participate in this movie,” Noah joked to AsiaOne during a set visit at Punggol Fire Station today (Aug 31).
But on a more serious note, the 32-year-old added the three of them didn’t need any convincing as they would “definitely say yes” to be part of the new film.
Tosh, Maxi and Noah shot to fame in the 66-year-old local director’s Ah Boys to Men (ABTM) film franchise, which was released between 2012 and 2017. Maxi and Noah played national servicemen in the army with Tosh as their platoon sergeant.
Ah Boys to Firefighters centres on the story of four young national servicemen Ayden Cheong (Raynold Tan), West Seah (Chai Changyong), Hassan (Luqmaan Hakiim) and Ramesh Menon (Kiki Darling), who are in the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) in the same fire station with different attitudes towards their service.
As they respond to increasingly dangerous emergencies, they are forced to confront fear, trauma, guilt and the realities of saving lives.
Under the tough guidance of Sergeant Encik Daniel Ong (Tosh), Rota Commander Lieutenant Hakimi (Zhin Sadali), as well as Section Commander Sergeants Phang Jin Bee (Maxi) and Hee Man (Noah), the four recruits gradually mature from reluctant young men into a close-knit team who understand the true meaning of service.
First time playing firefighters
Although they have returned to the film franchise, their characters are not what they had portrayed in ABTM.
Tosh shared: “This is all our first time playing firefighters and to go through the training and see what they do, it really opened our eyes to what we imagine they do. It’s really not easy for them mentally, physically and even emotionally.”
The 37-year-old said a challenge he faced was wearing the full bunker gear together with the breathing apparatus, which weigh around 15 to 20kg.
He recounted: “I have a bit of claustrophobia, so during training, when I put the gear on, I almost got into a panic attack. I had to tell myself to calm down.
“We had to carry the equipment and do physical activities, including climbing and setting up the hose. It’s very, very, very hot, and it’s even hotter when we face a fire situation.”
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Noah shared that his role Hee Man and Maxi’s Jin Bee, also known as Xiao Phang, are buddies in the film where they train the recruits.
“Our characters show tough love to them, but we mean well,” he said.
He added that after battling the blazing Singapore heat wearing the bunker gear during filming, he has a newfound respect for firefighters.
Zhin, who has appeared in local English TV series including Third Rail (2022), 128 Circle (2024) and the currently airing Yes Captain!, is making his film debut here and feels “very honoured”.
“I have seen Tosh, Maxi and Noah in movies and this is my first time working with them, which is a surreal feeling because I never thought that I would one day be able to act alongside the original Ah Boys,” the 33-year-old said, adding that he has learnt a lot from them.
Advice to ‘new recruits’
We also asked Tosh, Maxi and Noah what advice they have given to the “new recruits”.
Tosh laughed: “I think this is quite well-known. We overheard the young actors talking about memorising the script, so I just went over and told them, ‘Guys, you just need to know the skeleton of the story, but don’t memorise very line because Jack is known to come on set, feel the set and change things up. The whole thing might turn out different although the storyline remains the same.'”
Zhin recounted that he experienced these script changes every day. However, as he has experience acting in dramas, he was able to adapt well.
“I think it’s interesting to work with Jack. He’s very artistic when it comes to filming and also a perfectionist. Sometimes we would have 20 takes of the same thing and that is the process I feel I need to enjoy because this is my first movie and I want to do well,” he reflected.
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Noah advised the new cast that it was normal to do a lot of takes during filming as Jack would want them to do well and get a satisfying shot.
Maxi, 39, also told the younger actors to get enough rest to ensure they are in their best condition during filming.
He recounted: “I encouraged them that whenever they are not in a scene, they should go get a nap and not be embarrassed about it, they are not unprofessional. It’s only unprofessional if they are on set looking tired.”
Ah Boys to Firefighters is expected to be released during the Chinese New Year period in 2027.
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