Best Actor Louis Koo recently made a rare appearance on Do Do Cheng's (Do姐) in-depth interview show, 'The Do Show', to promote the movie adaptation of 'A Step into the Past.' In this candid interview, he shared seldom-heard stories from his showbiz journey, including several dangerous injury incidents and the real turning point behind his decision to leave the television industry and shift to film.
Louis Koo revealed he endured quite a few physical hardships since childhood. He was born with oxygen deprivation, which led to frequent brief loss of vision during his primary school years. After a scan, doctors discovered a brain hemorrhage that required medication to control. In addition, he once fell off a horse and had his head trampled after someone used a flash at the racecourse and startled the horse—but fortunately, the sand cushioned the fall and he narrowly escaped serious harm.
The most severe accident took place on the day of his graduation from Form Five (Grade 11). As he was crossing the street, he was hit and sent flying by a van. The impact was so great it shattered the windshield and even left a human-shaped dent on the front of the vehicle. Though his face was covered in blood and his clothes torn, he was lucky to avoid major injuries—but to this day, he still bears a scar from the stitches on his face.
Speaking about his entry into the industry, Koo said he originally worked as an agent at a modeling company. Thanks to his standout looks, he was often asked to stand in for MV shoots. In 1993, TVB invited him to sign a contract, but he declined out of fear of the station’s 'non-stop, round-the-clock' work pace. It was only after his original company went bankrupt that he joined the artist training class with a try-it-out mindset.
His move to the film world later on was actually encouraged by a benefactor. At the time, then-TVB general manager Robert Ho Ting-kwan arranged to meet him. Koo expected it to be about contract renewal, but to his surprise, Ho immediately said, 'You don’t belong on TV, you belong in movies. Go out and do films!' This advice deeply moved Koo—he said his 'eyes lit up' and he was grateful for such open-minded support from his boss. Ho even noticed that Koo didn’t have the typical 'TV vibe' that many TV actors couldn’t shake, and allowed him to keep his management contract while seeking opportunities outside. It was this courage and vision that paved the way for Louis Koo’s later status as a movie tycoon.
Source: HK01