Sean Kanan was one of the most recent re-entries into the Cobra Kai series, appearing in its fifth season. He played Mike Barnes in the 1989 film, The Karate Kid III, where his character was hired by Terry Silver to defeat Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso. He was one of the bad guys in the film but when he turned up in Cobra Kai, fans got to see a mellowed-down version of him.
Kanan revealed that his appearance in the film rarely happened due to a life-threatening medical emergency. Shockingly, the producers of the film weren’t so kind to the actor after his medical scare. As he didn’t want to lose the role, he went on to act in the film only days after his surgery.
Cobra Kai Actor Encountered A Medical Emergency That Could’ve Cost Him The Ralph Macchio Franchise
Cobra Kai made Sean Kanan wait a bit longer than others to bring him back into the franchise. Speaking to Daily Mail, he shared that five years was a “long time to wait”. However, he was glad to be back, working with Ralph Macchio 34 years after their encounter in The Karate Kid III.
However, the film also caused one of the scariest moments in Kanan’s life when he suffered internal bleeding from one of the fight scenes. He shared that he had been working on the film for six weeks when the production took a break for Christmas. He suffered significant pain in one thigh during this time, which he treated with aspirin initially.
Sean Kanan shared that while visiting the Dunes Casino in Las Vegas, he passed out. It turned out that he had internal bleeding in his leg and blood was dripping down his femoral artery. He shared that the doctors weren’t sure if they could save his life. He added that it was the scariest thing that happened to him. Kanan explained to Daily Mail:
I passed out in the Dunes Casino and it turned out that the pain in my leg was internal bleeding and it was the blood dripping down on my femoral artery. I’d been bleeding for day and so they rushed me to the hospital. They said, ‘We don’t know if we can save your life – we’re going to try.’ It was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me in my life.
Despite staring death in the face, all Kanan worried about was his role in the film. Kanan shared that he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to return to the film if the doctors cut through his abdominal muscles. He requested the doctors, who complied. Kanan shared:
I knew if they cut through the abdominal muscles, I’d be out of the film. There’s no way to get back to heal that quickly.
The doctors managed to save his life without cutting through his abdomen, just as he requested. He was ensured a quicker healing process in this manner, but he did not have the time that doctors advised him to take rest.
The Studio Showed No Mercy Towards Sean Kanan’s Situation
The Karate Kid III was made under the banner of Columbia Pictures, who did not run things in the most ideal way at that time. Kanan recalled to Daily Mail that he received no flowers or balloons from the studio, but instead got an unempathetic call. They shared that they wanted him back at work in 12 days, failing which they would recast the role.
The actor shared that he initially felt crushed from hearing that he could lose the role. He was later furious at the studio for their attitude. Kanan shared:
I got a call from the studio – no flowers, no balloons – just you need to be back at work in, I think it was like, 12 days or something or we’re going to recast. ‘I was crushed and then I went from being crushed to being really f**king angry. It wasn’t handled well. I’ll leave it at that.
Kanan had no choice as a newbie actor and decided to join the film without looking out for his own safety. He had the hospital discharge him against medical advice and worked with the director John Avildsen to get back in shape.
The Karate Kid III is now available for streaming on Starz. Cobra Kai Season 6 hits Netflix today.
