Ralph Macchio gets candid about 40 years as the Karate Kid

Actor Ralph Macchio hated being associated with Daniel LaRusso, his on-screen counterpart in The Karate Kid, until a private pep talk with a movie legend changed everything.

Stellar: Your new memoir isn’t full of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, but there are still a few shocking revelations. For instance, you admit that when the late Noriyuki “Pat” Morita was brought in to read for the pivotal role of Mr Miyagi, you thought it was a bad idea.

Ralph Macchio: I was a little kid who had watched Happy Days in the 1970s. So I was like, really? Arnold from Happy Days is going to play the sensei? I figured I’d get that guy. The irony being that I ended up with my fair share of typecasting after The Karate Kid. And he comes in, and he’s soft-spoken and articulate, and everything was easy. Working with Pat was yin and yang, give and take. It was so effortless. I didn’t know, necessarily, how good it was. But I knew it was easy.

S: Mr Miyagi avoided caricature, which was rare for portrayals of Asians in films around that time. In a lot of ways, The Karate Kid is one of the few movies from the 1980s – particularly teen-centred ones – that doesn’t seem to carry the stain of outdated sexual politics or un-PC jokes, which would today be deemed problematic. Why is that?

RM: I agree with you, although I’ve heard the other side, as well. [The film’s director] John G Avildsen always said it doesn’t offend anybody unless they’re a bully. It was wish fulfilment, it worked on a human level: themes, such as bullying, mentorship, single parenting, being a fish out of water… all of those are universal and, when they’re well-executed and well-told, they bring an audience that feels connected.

S: What were the criticisms?

RM: People have said it’s a very white cast; that it didn’t dive into the Asian story. But I always say this: [for 1984] the film was ahead of its time because it was a popcorn movie that talked about Japanese internment camps during WW2. And Pat Morita always said the scene [in which it’s revealed Mr Miyagi lost his wife and child in the camps] earned him his Oscar nomination. Pat himself spent two years in the camps. So it had double meaning and some depth.

Ralph Macchio reflects on 40 years of being the Karate Kid in new memoir. Picture: Supplied

S: You star in Cobra Kai, which is a TV series continuation of the films that has aired for five seasons and counting, and ignited a love for The Karate Kid with an entirely new generation. It’s become a massive hit, but I’ve never watched it because I hold the original so close to my heart that I’m afraid…

RM: I did that for 30 years, as well. I said no to everyone, no to going back.

S: Elisabeth Shue, who played Daniel’s love interest in the first film, returned in season three. But the die-hard fans remain disappointed you didn’t kiss.

RM: If she came back, would that change? Well, I don’t know if she’ll come back.

She gave us two great episodes, and it was great to have me, her and Billy [Zabka, who plays Johnny Lawrence in the films and spin-off] together to give closure to what wasn’t the brightest moment in the franchise: when her character [Ali] was unceremoniously written off with one line of dialogue in the first sequel.

S: You had a backstage encounter with Warren Beatty when you were doing a Broadway show in the mid-’80s, and he implored you not to look down upon or distance yourself from The Karate Kid films. Do you ever wonder why, of all the messengers, it ended up being him?

RM: I don’t know but, listen, it’s a message I probably didn’t hear until after it was over. That day, though, I was in a certain place. A movie I thought I had a shot at didn’t work out, and I was going to make… you know, I don’t want to give too much away. It’s one of my favourite stories in the book!

S: You even turned down a chance to present with Morita at the Oscars because you were trying to avoid too much Karate Kid-related activity.

RM: And I’ve still never been. But people say that I’m the luckiest guy in the world because it’s not a relaxing day at the office unless you win. I was probably wrapped up in it all and not seeing clearly. Like they say, youth is wasted on the young.

Ralph Macchio features in this Sunday’s Stellar. Picture: Simon Upton for Stellar.

S: Speaking of which, you don’t look 60 years old. In fact, you recently told late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel that you’re a “man-child freak”.

RM: The first thing he asked me was: how old are you? I wish I had a funnier answer than, you know, my actual age. But it’s interesting – I was on Letterman 30 years ago and he couldn’t let go of the fact that I was 30 back then. And I had to come back with a zinger. It was a good one; it got a big laugh. So I went from Letterman to Kimmel, and the same thing. But yes, I know I don’t look like a normal person. Blame my parents. It’s their fault.

Waxing On: The Karate Kid And Me by Ralph Macchio (Dutton, $29.99) is out November 1.

Originally published as Ralph Macchio gets candid about 40 years as the Karate Kid