Video: COBRA KAI Season Three Cast Talks Martin Kove - Says 'He is Kreese On and Off Set'
Cobra Kai season 3 has finally arrived, and it is epic. The show’s third season welcomes back stars Ralph Macchio as Daniel, William Zabka as Johnny, and Martin Kove as John Kreese, the psychotic original leader of the Cobra Kai dojo, who is back to take over the karate scene. In a recent interview with Variety, the cast spoke about their co-star Kove and his intense on and off-screen presence.
Jacob Bertrand, who plays Hawk in the series said, “He is Kreese on and off set. They yell ‘Cut!’ and he’s still sitting there glaring, grabbing the gi, he’s got a cigar going. He’s a real funny guy. He’s the sweetest man ever, but when he’s onset and Kreese comes out, it’s Marty.”
Peyton List, who plays Cobra Kai student Tory, says that Kove is “particularly fond of her and Bertrand, given that their characters are his two best students in Season 3.” “He loves Tory and Hawk,” she said. “He’s like ‘My duo, my kids!’ Every time I turn around he’s making videos for someone, being like, ‘No mercy!’ He gets so into it. I think he loves everything that has to do with ‘Cobra Kai.'”
Xolo Maridueña says Kove’s commitment to the character even extends to his exchanges on the phone, saying Kove “even texts like Kreese.”
Zabka added, “When you play a character, you find a piece of yourself that relates to this character and you blow it up. Marty has a piece of Kreese in him that when it’s amplified it’s this monster Kreese. He’ll admit it, offset sometimes in different situations, that character — he has to push him back down. But Martin Kove is a gentleman, a sweetheart and a good man and a good friend. Nothing really like Kreese at all.”
I can confirm that when I interviewed Martin Kove at Comic-Con 2019, he was super intense! He was incredibly kind, but had a look in his eye that made me sure I didn’t want to cross him. He’s the perfect Cobra Kai villain, and was the character I loved to hate this season. Seeing his backstory was super eye-opening, and I can’t wait to see what he does in Season 4.
Check out the video below, and watch Season 3 of Cobra Kai available now on Netflix.