Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me

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So there’s a parallel-universe Ralph Macchio out there, with an Oscar and 10 seasons of Friends or ER under his belt – and a more distant relationship with his children? Macchio nods: sure. “Parenting is not seasonal, man.” His daughter Julia is now an actor and a dancer. His son Daniel works in data analysis. One of the more satisfying aspects of this recent turnaround as an actor, Macchio says, is that Julia and Daniel have seen it and shared in it. “They’re involved in Cobra Kai. They champion it.”

To me, it showed everything I would want to hear a movie actor talk about with their inner self and make it relatable and engaging. I’m not kidding about wanting it to go on forever. I really did. I found myself listening to it every moment I got. My own (admittedly pretty sad) internet researching skills revealed that he did NOT use a ghost writer. I’m hoping that is in fact that case. I’m going with that in my mind. His narration conveyed a calm voice I could not help but respect. Valle, Jocelyn (June 25, 2010). "Whatever happened to Ralph Macchio?". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010 . Retrieved December 5, 2010. This is not a memoir of Ralph’s life so much as it is a memoir of his life coexisting with Daniel LaRusso (how he came into the role and it’s effects thereafter). Or, as one could say, different but same. In this book, Ralph weaves together his experience on the original films and Cobra Kai interspersed with his life at that particular time. He includes anecdotes about his costars (including the cast of Cobra Kai), his hilarious thoughts on theories of “who is the real bully”, and encounters with fans (some even by name - how cool!) - to illustrate just how much these characters mean to people. Ralph also stresses how important the legacy of The Karate Kid is to him. He describes how Cobra Kai came to be, his initial reaction and protection of the Daniel-Miyagi relationship. I found myself starting to cry when he spoke of his friendship with Pat Morita and I think that speaks to the point of the magic they captured in their respective roles. Macchio began tap dancing lessons at the age of three and was discovered by a talent agent when he was 16 years old. [1] Career [ edit ] Early roles [ edit ]On that note, Amanda already met Ali in season 3. But could Amanda get together with Ali, Kumiko, and Jessica? Could all of Daniel's exes just get together at some point, and how would he feel about that?

Your book was exactly what I wanted. As you said, it was the behind-the-scenes stories of The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai. It was really perfect. Ralph Macchio has had a long and successful career but there’s no doubt that the character he’s most associated with is Daniel LaRusso from ‘The Karate Kid’ franchise. He played the character in three films – ‘The Karate Kid’ (1984), ‘The Karate Kid Part II’ (1986) and ‘The Karate Kid Part III’ (1989) – and he reprised the role for the hit series ‘Cobra Kai’, which started in 2018 and is still going strong. Nearly 40 years after the original film was released, Macchio is sharing his experiences and stories from the franchise in his new book ‘Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me’. I really related to his story about how everyone made some sort of comment about how young he looked for his age in the chapter,"freezing in time." This chapter reflected on his feelings and struggles about how everyone portrait him just as the karate kid and how he felt frozen in time and how he wanted to been seen just as more as that. But he noted how it use to bother when people always saw him as a kid because of how young he looked for his age and how he made peace with that. I learned some stuff about the movies and movie making and that was cool. I wanted to know more about him and the world he’s lived in. The humor was wry and self-deprecating—which to me is often the best kind. I could not help but realize that this is a really level-headed guy working in a very tough business. I reached the conclusion where I kept thinking, wow, his friends and family are fortunate. Seems like a good guy to go get a pint with or catch a baseball game. Marriage is work. A relationship is always work. But having someone to take the journey with? Be understood by, at the deepest level? The totality of that is special’: with wife of 35 years Phyllis Fierro. Photograph: Allen Berezovsky/FilmMagic

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I did wish he talked more about Part II, and sadly Part III - even though he did dislike that film. I wanted more information about the making of those two. But I think he feels more grounded and proud of his work in Part I.

Macchio goes over his career before the film, how he got the part, the rest of the cast, filming, the release and the incredible cultural tsunami it caused. If you're a fan like me, you'll eat it right up.

Waxing On

My favorite bits are how kindly he talked about Pat Morita. How I had no idea that the studio wanted to cut his entire story of the camps but they all fought to keep it in. I agree with Ralph, it's what probably gave him that nod for an award. I also loved how he explained the bandana and how it became so synonymous with Karate Kid. Taking risks, being more kneejerk with decisions, with your lifestyle,” he says, “that probably does create more opportunity. I get that. But it wasn’t me.” Book Genre: Adult, Autobiography, Biography, Biography Memoir, Culture, Film, Media Tie In, Memoir, Nonfiction I love my fellow “Greaser’, Ralph. But if I’m being completely honest, I’ve never gotten over the existential pain of The Karate Kid’s ongoing success and relevance. What does that movie have that Youngblood doesn’t?! Well, after reading Ralph’s fun and insightful recounting, I now totally get it. Long live The Karate Kid!”— Rob Lowe, New York Times bestselling author of Stories I Only Tell My Friends