12 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • APRIL 2019
RALPH MACCHIO:
BY BRENDAN MANLEY
Arguably one of the most iconic
young actors of the ’80s, Ralph Macchio
piled up a list of hit films within
a decade-plus output that included
three Karate Kid movies, Francis
Ford Coppola’s unforgettable Outsiders
adaptation, the blues-guitar
cult classic Crossroads and a supporting
role alongside Joe Pesci in
My Cousin Vinny. He’s remained
an active, working actor ever since,
grateful for his enduring Karate
Kid fame, yet content to leave the
past where it lies. That is, until 2018,
when Macchio, 57, donned LaRusso’s
karate gi again, for the first time in
30 years.
Macchio now co-stars alongside Bill
Zabka (Johnny Lawrence), his old onscreen
rival, in Cobra Kai, a YouTube
original series that revisits LaRusso
and Lawrence as middle-aged men,
decades after the Karate Kid films.
The series is a well-deserved smash,
expertly bringing the franchise into
a new age, yet honoring the nuances
of what came before it.
With season two of Cobra Kai set for
an April 24 debut, I recently chatted
with Macchio about the show, his
legacy, and his life on Long Island,
as well as what to expect this season
at Daniel LaRusso’s new dojo.
Cobrai Kai is such a great show,
especially if you love The Karate
Kid films. How did the series
happen? Our three creators Jon
Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg
of the Harold and Kumar franchise
and Hot Tub Time Machine writer
Josh Heald were superfans of The
Karate Kid. They were just Jersey
guys who connected to the movie.
I’ve been pitched many Karate Kid
reboot ideas that just didn’t appeal
to me, but they had an angle in the
story that was fresh and relevant for
today, yet embraced all the nostalgia.
I trusted their vision, which was difficult
to do, because I still walk with
this character; I walk in his skin on
the street, to the public, and the fans,
so if it missed, that was a bit of a risk.
But I felt if there was ever a time, this
was it.
How does it feel for you to be playing
Daniel LaRusso again after all
these years? I approached him as an
adult in the same way I approached
him as a teenager, which was just a
piece of my own East Coast sensibility
of a grounded, good-hearted
person who maybe is a little more
knee-jerk than Ralph, maybe has a
little more of a temper than Ralph.
The only difference with how I
approached it now is the wisdom,
the parenting, the life that I, Ralph,
have led to this point. I brought that
to the table, just like how I brought
my adolescence to the table back in
1983 when we made the first movie.
I’ve raised two kids who are in their
20s … so I brought the experiences
of a husband, father and successful
business person … We’re very different,
but there’s a piece of yourself in
every role.
Fatherhood is definitely a consistent
theme throughout Cobra
Kai. It very much is. Leading into
season two, it becomes even more
so, as Johnny Lawrence is trying to
connect with his son and LaRusso’s
still navigating raising his own kid,
balancing his family and business,
and now that martial arts is back
in his life, he puts that on the front
burner. Family is the base of things,
and those lessons that Mr. Miyagi
taught him over the years
that maybe he’s lost a little track
of, and has to re-find.
Daniel and Johnny Lawrence
(Bill Zabka) are a classic
rivalry. How do you
and he get along in
real life? It’s not
Daniel and Johnny.
We do get along.
He and I have a
friendly rivalry
with each other, no
matter what we do.
We have fun ribbing
each other….
It’s nothing but
respect, and he has
certainly delivered
in performance. I
enjoy watching his
side of the story. When
we get together, it just
has a heightened level of
intensity that you can feel
when you watch the show.
The Karate Kid was a very
black-and-white story,
good over evil, but with Cobra
Kai, there are gray areas with
both characters. There’s moral
ambiguity, and it’s a little more
realistic about what it’s like to
balance life. Not taking anything
away from The Karate Kid — that
movie gives back over and over
again for all the right reasons — but
there’s a difference there.
Did you plan for more than one
season of Cobra Kai? There are
always questions about subsequent
seasons, where would it go, and what
would happen to Johnny Lawrence
in the future. All characters from
the original films could potentially
make an appearance, if it organically
works in the story. I think the
goal is several seasons. I’d love it to
go on as long as it makes sense and
we could keep the quality up there.
Season two is very exciting.
What else can you tell us
about season two? Martin
COVER FEATURE
"The Karate Kid was a very black-andwhite
story, good over evil, but with
Cobra Kai, there are gray areas with both
characters. There’s moral ambiguity."
After a 30-year absence,
Ralph Macchio
has reprised his role
as The Karate Kid's
Daniel LaRusso in
the trending
YouTube
series
Cobra
Kai.
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