5 Surprising Moments from Ralph Macchio's Promotional Tour for Karate Kid

      As we bid farewell to the Cobra Kai spinoff, which premieres its last five episodes today on Netflix, let's reflect on the origins of the Karate Kid saga with Ralph Macchio, who was in his early 20s when he was cast as Daniel LaRusso in the original Karate Kid film.

      He would go on to portray Daniel-San alongside Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi in two sequels and is set to reprise his role later this year in Karate Kid: Legends, alongside Jackie Chan.

      For now, enjoy his final moments in Cobra Kai, where he and William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence lead a talented ensemble of martial arts heroes and villains from the Valley.

      Here are five Karate Kid stories shared during Macchio’s promotional tour for his 2022 memoir, Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me:

      Regrets About Elisabeth Shue

      Elisabeth Shue, who played Ali Mills, Daniel LaRusso’s girlfriend in the first movie, was not brought back for the sequels. Ralph Macchio mentioned in an interview with The Guardian that the producers of The Karate Kid II decided against bringing her back because they wanted Daniel-san to emulate a James Bond character, meeting new women in each film. (He always struck us as a genuine, one-woman type.)

      Macchio expressed regret for not reaching out to Elisabeth Shue then, to discuss her thoughts on the decision, or for not approaching the producers to voice his concerns.

      “I dunno. They probably would have told me, ‘Get outside, Macchio, and start practicing your karate kicks,’” he added. “I think today, the conversation would be different.”

      The Rocky Crossover That Never Happened

      Ralph Macchio shared an amusing story about a pitch meeting for a film that would have paired Daniel LaRusso with Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) somewhere in New Jersey, as they worked together to assist their children.

      It actually makes some sense: John Avildsen, who directed the first Rocky film, also directed the first Karate Kid, whimsically referring to the latter as “the Ka-Rocky Kid” during production.

      The New Jersey connection works if you consider that Rocky Balboa hails from Philadelphia and Daniel LaRusso is from Newark. Perhaps they could bump into each other in Trenton? Here are more details about a crossover we’re still interested in.

      The Creed Connection

      Ralph Macchio received numerous pitches over the years regarding potential Karate Kid sequels and spin-offs, including the Rocky crossover.

      So, what made him finally agree to Cobra Kai? Timing played a crucial role. Macchio shared with Marc Maron that he had just seen Creed, which successfully transitioned the Rocky universe to the next generation while honoring the original film—similar to how Cobra Kai accomplishes that.

      Cobra Kai was developed by Josh Heald, who was known for Hot Tub Time Machine, along with Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz, who were recognized for the Harold & Kumar films. Heald managed to convince William Zabka to join because of his role in Hot Tub Time Machine. However, as Heald admitted to MovieMaker, Macchio was more challenging to persuade.

      “We needed to build that relationship and earn his trust,” Heald stated. “This is a franchise that he’s always linked to. When you see him on the street, he looks like Daniel LaRusso. We were strangers. While we weren’t complete outsiders to the industry, obviously he was familiar with our work. Nevertheless, knowing Harold & Kumar and Hot Tub Time Machine is different from trusting those guys to drive the Karate Kid franchise.”

      What We Think the Next Karate Kid Movie Will Be About

      In 2022, Ralph Macchio expressed a strong desire for a Mr. Miyagi origin story.

      There’s been some promising development since then: Hurwitz, Schlossberg, and Heald are working on a Mr. Miyagi origin story alongside Robert Mark Kamen, who wrote all the Karate Kid films except the fourth.

      Mr. Miyagi Casting

      Interestingly, Pat Morita was a relatively late addition to the original Karate Kid film. Macchio notes in his book and interviews that the initial hope was for Toshiri Mifune, famed for his collaboration with Akira Kurosawa in films such as The Seven Samurai, Rashomon, and Hidden Fortress, to portray Miyagi.

      However, Morita, at the time best known for his comedic role on Happy Days, ultimately won the part through his charm.

      Here are the auditions of Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio.

      Thanks for Reading Cobra Kai Star Ralph Macchio: 5 Insights from Karate Kid

      You may also enjoy the story of when The Karate Kid faced off against The Terminator.

      This is one of several Terminator tales you can explore further.

      Main image: Elisabeth Shue and Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid.