Due in part to the fact that most celebrity parents have learnt over decades of public exposure exactly what to share and what to keep secret, a certain kind of celebrity parent-child interview is uncommon. It wasn’t that kind of interview when Cassandra See and Lukas Schuler appeared on the 8days discussion show DNA.
The 55-year-old former Mediacorp actress and her 25-year-old son entered the set, took a seat across from host Rebecca Lim, and went on to describe a relationship that any parent watching would instantly recognize as something very specific: it looks more like an older sister and her younger brother or two friends who just so happen to be related than the typical Singaporean mother-son closeness. The internet has been trying to figure out what to do with it.
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cassandra See | 55-year-old former Mediacorp actress; entered Singapore showbiz via Star Search 1991, where she clinched the “Most Charismatic” title; left Mediacorp in 2000 to focus on personal life |
| Lukas Schuler (Son) | 25-year-old brand manager working with several alcohol brands in Singapore; only child from Cassandra’s first marriage to her German ex-husband; widely noted for his pan-Asian good looks across Singapore lifestyle media |
| Cassandra’s Marriages | First married a German national (Lukas’s father); split in 2003; later married a Korean reportedly working in the hospitality industry; her relocation pattern follows these life changes |
| Geographic Journey | After leaving Mediacorp in 2000, Cassandra moved to Hong Kong, then Korea, before returning to Singapore between late 2017 and early 2018 |
| The 8days DNA Interview | Mother and son appeared as guests on 8days chat show DNA, hosted by Rebecca Lim — a programme where celebrity parents and their kids reveal what really goes on behind closed doors |
| “Merged Parties” Tradition | The duo describes their birthday celebrations as “merged parties” — Cassandra invites her friends, Lukas invites his, and the groups blend together; the tradition apparently dates from when Lukas was an infant and “had no friends yet” |
| The Viral Birthday Story | At one birthday party attended by celebrity kids — including Calvert Tay (son of Hong Huifang and Zhen Geping), Marcus Guo (son of Guo Liang), and Beckham Wee (son of Pan Lingling and Huang Shinan) — Lukas became too drunk to attend his own party; Cassandra continued partying with his friends while he was passed out at home |
| Current Relationship | Lukas recently moved out and recently exited a four-year relationship; he and Cassandra still speak daily, sometimes until 2–3am; TikTok and 8days social channels have been circulating clips of the interview |
The majority of the narrative can be found in the headlines that resulted from the interview. The part about “merged parties”—the family custom of inviting Lukas’s friends and Cassandra’s friends to the same birthday celebrations—apparently originated when Lukas was a baby, and the practical reality was that an only child of that age does not have his own social circle.
The host portrayed Cassandra’s reaction to Lukas’s memory of watching his mother throw up into a pail when he was eight or nine years old at East Coast Park as being sheepish. Then there was the main story: Lukas became so inebriated before the celebration began that he passed out on the floor and could not be woken up at a birthday party attended by Singapore’s celebrity-kid set, including Calvert Tay, Marcus Guo, and Beckham Wee.
Cassandra was given the option of staying at home with her unconscious son or going out with his friends, and she decided to go out with his friends. Since 1991, when she emerged through Star Search and won the “Most Charismatic” title in that year’s competition, Cassandra has been a well-known Singaporean public personality.
Her enthusiasm for the DNA interview won’t surprise anyone who saw her work at Mediacorp throughout the 1990s. Cassandra rolled her eyes and questioned, half-laughing, if she should consider Rebecca Lim’s early observation that she is the type of person “you hear before you see” as a complement.
Observing her in conversation, the answer is in the affirmative. The connection between Cassandra and Lukas is truly the chemistry of two people who enjoy each other, which is largely why the interview has resonated. The same magnetism that worked on screen thirty years ago still works in person.
The biographical background is important. Cassandra’s first marriage to a German ex-husband, from whom she divorced in 2003, produced only one child, Lukas. Lukas’s primary stable adult relationship for a large portion of his childhood was with his mother due to the geographical journey that followed—Hong Kong, Korea, and finally back to Singapore between late 2017 and early 2018—after Cassandra married a Korean man who was reportedly employed in the hospitality industry.
Given the family tales that came up throughout the interview, he has worked his way into a brand management position with multiple alcohol brands in Singapore, which is a somewhat poetic career decision. According to the interview, he recently moved out, ended a four-year relationship, and continues to talk to Cassandra every day, sometimes until two or three in the morning.
The candor with which they both describe the connection is what makes it truly unique rather than just out of the ordinary. Lukas told Rebecca Lim that he views his mother “more as a bro, a sister, I guess” and that as a result, he talks candidly about his friendships, dating life, and daily annoyances.
Watching the interview footage that have been making the rounds on Singaporean social media this month gives me the impression that this is what a certain type of intimate family relationship looks like when neither party feels compelled to perform the traditional version of it. Not everyone will agree on the ideal relationship between moms and sons. It’s obviously working for them as well.
Cassandra maintains that “I am always right” is the reason she has the final say in most conversations. Lukas doesn’t dispute this. Neither of them appears really interested in acting like a more normal family after 25 years.
