Ralph Macchio has been the face of The Karate Kid since the franchise’s inception with the 1984 film. However, the actor has admitted that one Cobra Kai star, Tanner Buchanan, has outshined him when it comes to performing the fighting sequences in the series.
Known for portraying Robby Keene in the hit Netflix series, the 26-year-old actor impressed Macchio with his precise and skillful fight choreography. Looking back at his own performance in the original film, he admitted that he was not as skilled as Buchanan at the time.
Ralph Macchio admitted Cobra Kai’s Tanner Buchanan outshined him in fight sequences
Among the new introduced characters in Cobra Kai, Robby Keene quickly ascended to being one of the best fighters in the series. And Ralph Macchio has given the much-needed credit to the actor behind the role, Tanner Buchanan.
In a discussion for Interview Magazine, The Karate Kid star commended the young actor for seamlessly performing his fight sequences while acknowledging that he himself lacked such precision while starring in The Karate Kid.
I know you weren’t a martial artist beforehand, but you blow me away with the physical stuff that you’re doing in the show, mainly because I’ll watch myself at your age, and I sucked in comparison.
“I know you take it so seriously,” he continued before adding, “We all take such pride in our fight scenes.” The actor also recalled that both he and William Zabka had to train for weeks for the climax scene of the 1984 movie.
“Any time Billy and I have had little scuffles, we end up bruised. Our arms were bruised up,” he said, reflecting on the contrast of filming such sequences for the Netflix series and the original movie.
“Now we’re here, we’re pulling scenes up sometimes the day before or on the day of,” he said. Buchanan admitted that his background in dance and gymnastics growing up helped him perform the scenes without any major flaws.
Tanner Buchanan credited his dance and gymnastic background for excelling in fight choreography
During his conversation with Ralph Macchio, Tanner Buchanan credited his dance and gymnastics background for helping him excel in his fight sequences. “I guess with a dance background, I have a good sense of balance, so that came easy,” he said.
However, the He’s All That star still acknowledged the challenges of learning and performing the choreography.
I think the hard part is just trying to memorize the choreography. Learning that choreography is way harder than I expected, because you really have to be in tune, not only with what you’re doing, but almost exactly with what the other person is doing.
While Macchio mentioned that Buchanan was not a “martial artist beforehand,” the 26-year-old actor has previously shared that he has some experience with martial arts growing up.
“I had experience with some martial arts, Muay Thai, when I was 9 or 10,” he shared in an interview with The Blade, adding, “Little did I know that it was going to come in handy.”
Despite that, he explained that he was still in the same boat as his co-stars and had to undergo strict training for the series. With his run as Robby Keene in Cobra Kai coming to an end with the final season, fans are now expecting to see his return in the upcoming film. However, his involvement remains uncertain.
Cobra Kai is available to watch on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
