People of the 1980s might remember The Karate Kid, a film that took the year 1984 by storm, giving the box office a sweeping kick to become one of the best releases of the year. With a sales record of $130.8 Million, it was not a far-fetched thing to call it an absolute win for the film, and the respective sequels to come after it. But, The Karate Kid wasn’t just a commercial success either, over the years, the films created a cult following of fans that wanted more from Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, leading to the creation of yet another successful franchise.
After all these years though, people might think that the old touch of Pat Morita, who played Macchio’s mentor Mr. Miyagi in the film, would be gone by now.
But, With the recent developments in the ongoing series Cobra Kai, it seems that there is someone that may keep Morita’s legacy going on, which is a fact that even Ralph Macchio will agree to after he sees the similarities between Morita and one of his co-actors on the show.
Ralph Macchio Thinks Jacob Bertrand Is Similar To The Karate Kid’s Pat Morita
In an interview with Collider, the legendary Karate Kid star and Cobra Kai icon Ralph Macchio, who plays Daniel LaRusso in the franchise, spoke about the young cast in the hit Netflix series. Of all his co-stars, Macchio singled out actor Jacob Bertrand who plays Eli and is best known by audiences as “Hawk.” What Macchio sees in Bertrand is a balance between filming emotional scenes and being humorous off-camera which reminded him of his legendary on-screen sensei, Pat Morita.
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“Pat Morita had this as well, and Jacob is great at this, it’s the ability to come in and out of it in a snap of a finger,” Macchio said, recalling the time he spent on the sets of The Karate Kid with his on-screen sensei Pat Morita. He further added:
“He’ll just be cracking jokes, prankster-ing, and crying, and then back. Pat Morita would do that, too. He’d do the great Miyagi drunk scene, tears in his eyes of losing his wife and child in the internment camps, and then we’d cut and he’d have a few fart jokes for me and make me laugh. And it would take me 10 minutes to get back into character. So I marvel at people that are able to do that.”
This was a sentimental comment that Macchio made about Jacob Bertrand. Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita were close friends because of the bond they shared on and off screen, which was filled with absolute respect and gratitude for one another. After Morita’s death on 24th November 2005, the whole cast of The Karate Kid mourned the death of their sensei. It was heartwarming to see Macchio see that similarity, that magic, that the legendary Pat Morita brought with him in the next generation of Cobra Kai.
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What’s Next For Cobra Kai?
From its first two seasons on YouTube Red starting in 2018 to the subsequent three seasons on Netflix, Cobra Kai has become a worldwide phenomenon. Season 5 of the show went on to top Thor: Love and Thunder in its minutes of viewing on Disney+ for the first week of September on the Nielsen streaming chart. As the cast and crew await news about a renewal for Season 6, Macchio believes there are still plenty of stories to tell for his character, Daniel LaRusso.
Cobra Kai seems like this is the show that would carry on the legacy that The Karate Kid left behind, and at the moment, the world has nothing to counter the statement.
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Cobra Kai, now streaming on Netflix.
Source: CBR
