“I would have probably found a different way”: Ralph Macchio Claims He is Very Different from Karate Kid’s Daniel LaRusso

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After starring in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders, Ralph Macchio went on to audition for the lead role in John G. Avildsen’s The Karate Kid. While he found the title a bit “silly” initially, he has since starred in two sequels of the film and has reprised his role in Netflix’s martial arts drama, Cobra Kai.
However, the actor later revealed in an interview that he and his character in The Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso, were very different, stating that he would not have taken the same measures as him to deal with his bullies.
Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso
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Ralph Macchio Claimed He is Very Different From Daniel LaRusso
Ralph Macchio is popularly known for starring in the martial arts film series The Karate Kid. The first film, released in 1984, introduced the world to Daniel LaRusso, a teenager who faces bullying from a group of karate students led by Johnny Lawrence after moving to a new town.
The Karate Kid
LaRusso decides to learn Karate from his house maintenance man, Mr. Miyagi, to protect himself and to compete against his bullies in a tournament. Talking about the movie and his character, Macchio opened up about why he and his character are very different.
“There was one big difference between us, though,” he said as per The Guardian. The Distant Thunder star shared that while his character in the franchise was brave and decided to take a stand against his bullies, he wouldn’t have done the same.
Ralph Macchio
“If I got my as* kicked by five karate experts on motorcycles, I would have probably found a different route to school,” he further stated. The actor shared that he only took jiu-jitsu lessons when he was 10 years old. To prepare for the movie, he trained in the Okinawan Gōjū-ryū fighting style.
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Ralph Macchio Found the Title of The Karate Kid Silly
Ralph Macchio shared that he was quite skinny at the time and did not look his age. And his 1983 movie The Outsiders received positive reviews. Soon, he received a call for a movie named The Karate Kid. The actor thought that it was a “silly title” and asked, “Is it a cartoon?”
The Karate Kid (1984)
He also shared that almost everyone was making fun of the title. But he decided to meet the director of the film after he received its script. The actor has also shared that his character was initially named Danny Weber but was later changed to Daniel LaRusso.
He recalled the audience’s reaction after he saw the film for the first time at the Baronet and Coronet Theatre in Manhattan. He shared that people were jumping out of their seats during the final fight scene. “When I left the cinema, everyone was doing the crane kick on Third Avenue,” he recalled. Macchio reprised his character in Netflix’s Cobra Kai and is also expected to return in the next season of the show.
The Karate Kid is available to stream on Netflix.
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