(L to R) William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence, Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso in Cobra Kai.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock (1651612a) The Karate Kid, Pat Morita, Ralph Macchio Film and Television] Ralph explained that when The Karate Kid was first made in the early 1980s, it was actually a ‘minor motion picture’ with a small budget… but since then, it’s ‘grown and snowballed over time and generations and decades’ in a unique way.
2024] Despite how close Daniel and Johnny have become in Cobra Kai – which mirrors the friendship between Ralph and William in real life – the actor jokingly admitted that when shooting ended on the first Karate Kid film, he said: ‘Well, thank god I never have to see that guy again.’.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock (1651613a) The Karate Kid, Pat Morita, Ralph Macchio Film and Television] That’s because the final scene that they ended up shooting together paid homage to the first time that their characters met – and their feud began – in the original film 41 years ago.
‘The scene took place on the beach in Southern California when Johnny Lawrence and his Cobra Kai came down on their motorcycles and they’re playing a radio and Elisabeth Shue is torn between these two guys, and Johnny Lawrence winds up beating the crap out of Daniel LaRusso, leaving him face down in the sand.’.
