Ralph Macchio is Not a Fan of THE KARATE KID 3, But He's Happy With How It Ties Into COBRA KAI
Ralph Macchio does not like The Karate Kid 3. It’s definitely not his favorite of the Karate Kid films that he starred in alongside Pat Morita. In a recent interview with THR, the actor talked about his experience making the third film, explaining that it was not a smooth ride for him:
"I was not a fan of how the Karate Kid 3 came out. I felt the story was only repeating itself and was not character forwarding for the end of LaRusso. And production-wise, it was being written one way and then changed another way. It was not a smooth ride. In the end, there were parts of the character that I didn’t embrace as well as I did with the original and the first sequel. I don’t put it on the top of my resumé."
Regardless of his distaste for The Karate Kid 3, big elements of that film found their way into the storyline for Cobra Kai, Macchio does love and appreciate the influence it has had on the show. One of the biggest aspects was the awesome reintroduction of the villain Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith). Macchio went on to say:
"It informs Cobra Kai going forward, clearly with season four. It gives us so much story. And what is so wonderful about doing the Cobra Kai series, the creators find ways to take that story and let it evolve and find backstories for characters who might have been thinly written."
Macchio goes on to share:
"There is a larger-than-life element to Cobra Kai. When you break it down, it is kind of ridiculous – but that is why it is so much fun! So, you take a character like Terry Silver for this show, with those larger-than-life elements and his relationship with Daniel, then add those layers of complexity to his evilness. And now it becomes a refined performance. On top of that, from the perspective of Daniel as an adult, now we are adding other stakes and elements about his own kids and students. It is remarkable that what I would call the shortcomings of the original franchise are now bearing fruit 36 years later."
This fourth season of Cobra Kai was freakin’ fantastic! This show is filled with so much ridiculous fun! It’s pretty awesome to see the story arcs for these characters continue to be explored and I loved the direction that the creative team has been taking it. I don’t ever want this show to end! It’s going to be a sad day when it does.