Does the Karate Kid Ralph Macchio and William Zabka Really Know Karate in Real Life?
Ralph Macchio and William Zabka appear as their respective characters Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence from The Karate Kid franchise in the television series Cobra Kai, which is the sequel of 1984’s The Karate Kid, created by Robert Mark Kamen. Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg created Cobra Kai, debuting the first two seasons on YouTube Premium before moving to Netflix for the third and more.
Cobra Kai is one of the most popular shows on Netflix as it re-examines the Miyagi-verse narrative from Johnny Lawrence’s point of view. The show has drawn positive responses from the critics and the audience for the performances, writing, humor, and sequences, along with how honest and faithful the series has been to the original movies. But one question that the viewers want to know is if Ralph Macchio and William Zabka knew Karate before being cast. Let’s find out.
Ralph Macchio and William Zabka credit their Karate skills to Pat E. Johnson
Actors Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, who appeared in 1984’s The Karate Kid are currently part of Netflix’s Cobra Kai, which is a martial arts comedy-drama television show and is the sequel of the first Karate Kid movie. The actors who have been in the franchise for almost forty years were asked if they knew Karate in real life.
Ralph Macchio said in an interview with WIRED:
“That would be a gentleman by the name of Pat E. Johnson. He taught all of us, trained me in goju-ryu style, Okinawan classic karate, and Pat Morita as well. He was a big part of creating all of those sequences. Most often I don’t use a stunt double. I really try to do all the stuff. Certainly it was easier back in the day.”
William Zabka had also mentioned in an interview with The Wrap that he didn’t know any about Karate before he was signed for the movie and started training with Pat E. Johnson. The actor also revealed that he kept training and sparring on and off between then and now, which had made him interested in karate. Zabka’s real-life kids are into martial arts.
So it’s likely to say that they did not know karate before they joined the franchise but over the years have polished themselves to some level of it.
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Ralph Macchio and William Zabka starrer Cobra Kai ready to bid adieu
Earlier this year, Netflix confirmed that Cobra Kai would be returning for one last outing, and actor Xolo Maridueña, who also stars in the show, recently provided a promising update about the filming of the last season.
During an interview with Collider, the actor was asked if they have a firm date for when they will be heading back to start filming the show now that the strikes are over, to which he said,
“Yes I do. I do have a date, and it’s right around the corner, so I am excited to get back to the ‘gi. We already did the first episode before the writer’s strike, so we’re going to hit the ground running. I know it.”
While the actor does not provide a firm date, his comments do assure the audience that they will be heading back to the sets soon, which means the sooner they start filming, the sooner the show gets on Netflix for the audience. One of the things that people love about the show is how authentic and faithful it has been to the original movies. Audiences love it when a reboot or sequel of a project evolves according to the given times while maintaining the authenticity of the original work in place.
Cobra Kai Season 1-5 is streaming on Netflix.
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