Ralph Macchio began his acting career in 1980 when he was cast as Jeremy Andretti in a season of Eight is Enough. His work as Johnny Kade in the 1983 film The Outsiders won him the role of the most popular character of his career. He was cast as Danny LaRusso in the 1984 blockbuster movie The Karate Kid.

Macchio has undoubtedly built a great acting career with his acting skills but his character Daniel LaRusso in the three Karate Kid movies and a sequel television series Cobra Kai remains the most iconic, and the one fans adore him for it to date.

Ralph Macchio as Danny LaRusso
Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso

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Ralph Macchio’s Work in The Outsiders Was the Turning Point

The cast of The Outsiders
The cast of The Outsiders

Speaking of his role in The Outsiders in an interview, Ralph Macchio said that he felt like quite “the outsider” as he was from New York while the rest of the guys who had come to audition were from California. However, Macchio’s determination to be a part of the movie helped him through.

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In the auditions, the Karate Kid star was up against some of the best young actors such as Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Scott Baio, Dennis Quaid, Leonardo DiCaprio, and many other household names.

Macchio recalled how he was extremely specific about playing Johnny Kade as he felt that he was the right fit for the character. He was so passionate about the character that he did everything director Francis Ford Coppola told him to do to familiarize himself with the character. “I slept outside one night under newspapers just like Johnny did, and it was not fun. I developed a walk where his toes were pointed in a bit,” he said.

Ralph Macchio and the Karate Kid Fans Adore Each Other

Ralph Macchio
Ralph Macchio

Ralph Macchio is still loved as the decades-old character Daniel LaRusso he played in the three movies of the Karate Kid franchise. He doesn’t take that for granted at all. If anything, he respects and accepts all the adoration he receives from the fans for that role even though he has now worked longer in Cobra Kai than he has in the Karate Kid.

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In an interview, when asked why The Deuce actor still embraces the Karate Kid fandom. He said,

“This movie has become the fans’ film. To sort of turn down or turn and say ‘I don’t want to talk about that, that was yesterday, let’s talk about today and tomorrow’, I think it’s just insulting to the people who love and grew up with those stories.”

Ralph Macchio has played a lot of roles in his career so far. Some of his greatest roles include Archie Rodriguez in several episodes of the ABC Network television series Ugly Betty, Eugene Martone in Crossroads, Bill Gambini in My Cousin Vinny and many more.

Source: NickiSwift , Parade

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