Rosing to prominence back in the ’80s following the success of The Karate Kid movies, Ralph Macchio’s Hollywood career came to a standstill after the trilogy concluded. Fortunately, the actor found his footing back in the film industry with the release of Cobra Kai, which witnessed Macchio reprising the role of Daniel LaRusso and the return of Ali Mills played by Elisabeth Shue.
Cobra Kai did succeed in giving Shue’s Mills a heartfelt send-off, who was axed from the original sequels and Macchio did express heavy regrets for not standing beside his costar in the ’80s.
Ralph Macchio Didn’t Give Much Thought to Elisabeth Shue’s Exit Until Decades Later
Playing the love interest of Macchio in the first movie, Elisabeth Shue didn’t reprise her role in the later entries, as producers aimed to make Daniel a Bond-type hero, with a new love interest in each installment. Considering the actor was occupied with his own initial rise to stardom and other projects, including Teachers, he didn’t bother reaching out to his costar and didn’t give much thought to her dismissal at the time. Per The Guardian:
“Elisabeth Shue was written out of the franchise with a single, curt sentence. This absolutely winded me when I was young, I tell Macchio, who hears me out, wincing. He says that for years he didn’t give Shue’s dismissal much thought.”
But reflecting back on the matter at the age of 60, Macchio expressed his regrets for not standing up for Elisabeth Shue, as he never looked at the matter from her perspective until decades later. While promoting his autobiography, Waxing On, in the same interview he explained,
“I never looked at it from the perspective of Ali’s character or from the perspective of Elisabeth as an actor. As an older person, there was a recognition of missteps, of things I should have done differently.”
Thanks to Netflix’s Cobra Kai, which not only resulted in the resurgence of Ralph Macchio’s career, it also gave closure to Elisabeth Shue’s Ali Mills, who reprised the role after 3-decades.
Ralph Macchio Rejected the Offer to Star in the Karate Kid Remake
Before Cobra Kai witnessed Ralph Macchio reprising the role of Daniel LaRusso, the actor was offered to star in the Jackie Chan-led remake of the 1984 classic. Considering he was less than thrilled about the remake’s initial announcement after witnessing that no one from the original cast was returning, it wasn’t long before he received a call from the movie’s producer Will Smith. Speaking with Fox News, the actor explained why decided to sit 2010’s Karate Kid out, stating,
“I think the legacy stands on its own, and I didn’t have any great desire to fit a square peg in a round hole if you will. I just didn’t know enough about it and what they wanted to do for me to really participate.
Fortunately, not only fans but Macchio too was pleased with the end result, expressing that the Jackie Chan-led movie only enhanced the legacy of the original.
The Karate Kid is available to stream on Netflix.
Source: The Guardian, Fox News
