When “Karate Kid” star Ralph Macchio took a walk down Memory Lane, he arrived at a beach just north of Malibu, California, scene of an iconic moment from the 1984 film, where his character, martial arts student Daniel LaRusso, practices his “crane” technique.
“A little bit of movie magic – kind of sacred ground in the ‘Karate Kid’ universe,” Macchio said. “It is 41-ish years ago, but I remember being darn cold coming out of that water.”
LaRusso had just moved to Los Angeles when, as the plot goes, he quickly becomes the target of rival Johnny Lawrence. LaRusso learns karate from Mr. Miyagi (played by the late Pat Morita), and goes on to learn about a lot more than just beating a bully.
When “The Karate Kid” was released, it was competing with some big-budget blockbusters, including “Ghostbusters” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” But this tiny little movie found its footing – and became one of the highest-grossing films of the year.
Four decades later, Macchio, now 62, and his co-star, William Zabka, now 58, have taken their young rivalry from the All Valley Karate Championship into adulthood in the Netflix series “Cobra Kai,” which just released the first part of its sixth and final season.
Macchio said, “Sometimes, you want your second chance to sort of taste it all again and really, you know, enjoy it. I am getting that chance!”
Was getting back into their characters after so long like riding a bike? “Yeah, but it needed a little WD-40,” said Zabka.
“Yeah, they were squeaky,” Macchio concurred.
“Cobra Kai” has built up a huge following, not just those who remember the original, but also among younger audiences, too – and both are being treated to a new “Karate Kid” narrative: What if Macchio’s character, Daniel LaRusso, wasn’t the real hero? What if it was Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence who was the victim instead?
Macchio said, “The whole series is like, I don’t know what Johnny Lawrence’s life was and he doesn’t know what Daniel LaRusso’s life was, but then when they come back together, now you have this richness.”
The theory that Lawrence was unfairly demonized by new kid LaRusso, who used an “illegal” kick in the karate tournament, had been floating around the internet for years. It even became a plot point in the CBS comedy “How I Met Your Mother.”
Zabka said he never imagined he would play his character again, in part because for decades Macchio had been fiercely protective of the “Karate Kid” franchise. He had countless offers to appear in re-boots, but declined every time. Zabka said, “I’m like, ‘Everybody’s on board?’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah, everybody but Ralph.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, good luck with that!'”
At first, “Cobra Kai” looked to be facing the same fate, especially after Macchio learned that its creators were the trio of Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald and Hayden Schlossberg, who wrote the comedies “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” and “Hot Tub Time Machine.” “So, I wasn’t sold at the get-go that these were my guys!” Macchio laughed.
But those same three managed to convince him. “Because one, they cared; two, they are the super-fans of the ‘Karate Kid’ films,” Macchio said. “They wanted to make what they knew the fans would want to see.”
There are some familiar faces, too, like Elisabeth Shue, who played “Ali with an i.” “Me, her and Billy, we were right back in it,” Macchio said.
For Macchio, it’s a return to a character that has both enriched his life, and challenged it. He made a name for himself in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Outsiders,” and followed up his three-part “Karate Kid” franchise with crowd-pleasers like “My Cousin Vinny.” But most casting directors saw Ralph Macchio only as what they knew: The Karate Kid Guy. “And I get it, I didn’t not understand that line of thinking,” he said, “but it was frustrating.”
Cowan asked, “You have the reputation of being one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. Do you ever wonder if you had sharper elbows, maybe…?”
“Could be,” he said. “That’s a good question. I mean, my daughter was just born, and that was the magic in my life, not necessarily movies. And my son a few years after that. So, I kinda drew it up perfectly, even though at the time, it didn’t feel that way.”
He always had one foot in and one foot out of Hollywood – he was born and raised on Long Island, and he never really left. He’s still married to the girl he met at a birthday party when he was only 15, and their two kids were able to grow up away from the spotlight.
Macchio said, “My favorite story is my son when he found a box of old teen magazines: Tiger Beat, Teen Beat, 16. And he comes in, he called out to his sister, he goes, ‘Jules! Dad was huge! And we missed it!'”
We’re all going to be remembered for just a handful of things we did in our lives. For Ralph Macchio, if one of them is influencing a generation with “The Karate Kid,” and then somehow doing it again decades later for a whole new generation, well, somewhere, Mr. Miyagi must be smiling.
