Embarrassing dad Ralph Macchio
Ralph Macchio’s kids finally think it is “pretty cool” that he was the Karate Kid, after years of being embarrassed.
Ralph Macchio’s kids finally think it is “pretty cool” that he was the Karate Kid.
The 62-year-old actor – who has Julia, 32, and Daniel, 28, with wife Phyllis Fierro – shot to fame playing Daniel LaRusso in 1984 blockbuster ‘The Karate Kid’ and his offspring used to find it embarrassing, although they appreciate it more now they are adults.
He said: “When they were little, they used to find it off that people would stand on one leg with their hands in the air doing the whole crane-kick thing when they saw Daddy.
“When they were old enough to understand, they were kind of embarrassed about all that stuff but now they’re grown up, they think it’s pretty cool. At least I hope they do!
“My wife is a palliative care nurse at a hospital, so she’s the real hero of the family, along with our kids.”
Ralph returned to the role for Netflix’s spin-off series ‘Cobra Kai’ and though he loves still playing the character, he admitted the physical scenes are tougher than they used to be.
He said: “Back in the 1980s, almost every scene involved Daniel getting his a** kicked, so I’m used to it by now.
“I’m always willing to take the hit, and me being a 98lb weakling, I often go flying.
“It hurts, especially at my age and it’s a little harder to do now than it used to be, but I try to get through it with a lot of stretching.”
And though 'Cobra Kai’ is coming to an end, Ralph is excited to have another ‘Karate Kid’ movie in the pipeline.
He said: “We have shot a new ‘Karate Kid’ movie.
“I can’t tell you anything about it other than it Is coming out in 2025 and I’m really excited about it.
“It’s very much the continuation of some of the elements of ‘Cobra Kai’ and the original ‘Karate Kid’ movies.”
