Ralph Macchio On Righting Past Wrongs In ‘Cobra Kai’

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https://uproxx.com/tv/ralph-macchio-...kai-interview/

KIMBERLY RICCI
FILM/TV EDITOR
OCTOBER 18, 2022

The last time we talked to Ralph Macchio, Cobra Kai was making the move to Netflix, where The Karate Kid sequel series’ audience reached stratospheric heights. Most recently, the fifth season proved that the show still has the “Eye of the Tiger” and boasts an ensemble cast with endless appeal and a carefully parceled-out sense of nostalgia. Watching Daniel LaRusso clash and come together with William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence is a sight that never grows old, decades after the first film motivated audiences to do that crane kick. Creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg sense precisely how to interweave the younger players into a revolving cast of O.G. characters with a final product that I’ve called infuriatingly good because it’s like karate-crack candy.

At the center of it all, Ralph Macchio knows that he held out for the right pitch. He covers that subject and much more in his new memoir, duly titled Waxing On, in which he divulges a wide range of revelations about his beloved franchise. This includes his response to how the crane kick has been endlessly obsessed over and even reframed as a villain origin story by some mischievous parties on the Internet. Macchio also not only pays much tribute to Mr. Miyagi himself, Pat Morita, but discusses how reteaming with cast members has left him with gratitude. And Macchio “waxes on” about how he’s played plenty of characters, but LaRusso will live on forever (he’s “Still the Best”).

Ralph was gracious enough to sit down with us to hash out his book and reflect upon the finer flourishes of Cobra Kai‘s latest season.