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He
may be all grown up today, but for many of us, Ralph
Macchio
will always be a kid… The
Karate Kid.
Ralph George Macchio, Jr. was born in Huntington, New York in 1961 to
an Italian-American family. He got his start as a teenager, appearing
in campaigns for Bubble Yum and Dr. Pepper. In 1980, Macchio landed
his first major role, a recurring gig on the family sitcom, Eight
is Enough
before going on to film Francis
Ford Coppola's
1983 drama, The
Outsiders.
The
following year, Macchio secured his biggest role to-date—playing
the lead role in the martial arts drama, The
Karate Kid.
The film featured Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, a high school student
who uses the art of karate to defend himself against a pack of
ruthless bullies. It became an instant classic, spawning two sequels
as well as a fourth movie featuring a then-unknown Hilary
Swank,
plus a 2010 reboot starring Jaden
Smith
and Jackie
Chan.
In
an interview in October 2014 with Chris Strauss, Macchio shared his
thoughts about this pop culture classic 30 years after its release.
Q:
Did you have any idea that The
Karate Kid would
be what it became?
A:
No
and neither did (director John) Avildsen. What I did feel when we
were making the movie is that Pat Morita and I had a natural organic
ease in our acting styles. Those scenes just really – I don’t
know how to describe it. If there was anything evident on that set,
it was evident that relationship was very natural and real. It seemed
like it had a shot of being that once it got on the screen. Forget
about the whole pop culture, “Put him in a bodybag,” “Wax on,
wax off,” catching flies with chopsticks, “Sweep the leg.” That
stuff – anyone who says they knew that would be what it is today,
literally today, almost a third of a century…it’s a long time. No
one could ever predict that. If they could, that person would be
running a very successful studio.
Q:
If there was an ideal sports project for you to star in or produce or
direct, who would it be about?
A:
I
love great baseball movies. I’m a sucker for The
Natural, Field of Dreams, Eight Men Out.
The
Rookie….I
go hook, line and sinker. I’m gone. I’m a mushbag. “Dad, do you
want to have a catch?” Forget about it.
Q:
What do you think Daniel LaRusso (The Karate Kid) grew up to become?
A:
I think LaRusso would be a family man. If you want to be funny in a
crowd you can always say he became a serial killer, but I think all
the Miyagisms made him a good family man and decent dad. I’m sure
if his son was picked on he’d know how to answer some of those
questions.
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