Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me

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Taking risks, being more kneejerk with decisions, with your lifestyle,” he says, “that probably does create more opportunity. I get that. But it wasn’t me.” A breezy read that disproves the clanky, “Nice guys finish last,’ cliche, but re-defines it as, ‘Nice guys LAST.’ This memoir will put you in the BEST mood, I promise.”— Patton Oswalt, New York Times bestselling author of Silver Screen Fiend There were other near-misses. In 1994, Macchio was under contract to make television for NBC. He filmed several episodes of a show that was never broadcast. That same summer, NBC created a sitcom about six close pals in New York, and a drama about a hospital emergency room in Chicago. Macchio exhales. “I was on an overall deal with the studio that was casting both Friends and ER. And somehow I wasn’t put in either of them. But do you want to know the truth of it? From where I’m sitting now? It was the best thing. The right people get the right parts.”

At a celebration of the 30th anniversary of The Karate Kid at the Japanese American National Museum in 2014, Macchio said that the yellow 1947 Ford convertible his character Daniel receives from Miyagi in the first film was sitting in his garage. [24] This is not a memoir of Ralph’s life so much as it is a memoir of his life coexisting with Daniel LaRusso (how he came into the role and it’s effects thereafter). Or, as one could say, different but same. In this book, Ralph weaves together his experience on the original films and Cobra Kai interspersed with his life at that particular time. He includes anecdotes about his costars (including the cast of Cobra Kai), his hilarious thoughts on theories of “who is the real bully”, and encounters with fans (some even by name - how cool!) - to illustrate just how much these characters mean to people. Ralph also stresses how important the legacy of The Karate Kid is to him. He describes how Cobra Kai came to be, his initial reaction and protection of the Daniel-Miyagi relationship. I found myself starting to cry when he spoke of his friendship with Pat Morita and I think that speaks to the point of the magic they captured in their respective roles. BE PREPARED FOR TONS OF REPETITION to a later chapter, the next chapter, I’ll get to it next, remember last chapter, this chapter of my life. The middle school writing drove me INSANE and it just pained me to listen. That hurts me to say it but it’s true.

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What shines through in the book is Macchio’s passion for the franchise and his respect for the cast and crew members he’s worked with. The late Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi, Daniel’s disciplined teacher, is remembered fondly by Macchio who admits he wasn’t sure Morita was the right actor to play the pivotal role. Once the two screen tested, it became clear there chemistry would go down in cinematic history and Macchio frequently praises his late co-star.

I’ve been infatuated with him since Eight is Enough. While he’s only 8 years older than I am (a big difference when you’re only 10) he looked my age and he was from Long Island just like me !! Like he lived less than a half hour from me !! Gonzalez, Sandra (April 29, 2013). " 'How I Met Your Mother' recap: The Barney". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016 . Retrieved October 27, 2015. Greatest Teen Stars #'s 80-61". vh1devas2000live.com. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008 . Retrieved November 15, 2008. American Gypsies: Q&A With Executive Producer Ralph Macchio". National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013 . Retrieved October 4, 2013. Actually, I have a little Greek in the bloodstream as well (my Dad is half Greek).For 30 years and more, whenever the American actor Ralph Macchio attends a sports event, the chances are that a live image of his face will flash up on the arena’s big screen. Macchio’s name will appear, always accompanied by a three-word explanation of who he used to be. “Guys, remember the Karate Kid from the 1980s? He’s here, he’s alive, he watches baseball, too!” Macchio is a fan of standup comedy. But if he sits in the audience at a show he must always be prepared to be singled out. “Hey Ralph, didn’t I see you waxing on and waxing off at a car wash? You guys might know Macchio from The Karate Kid trilogy. And if you don’t know him from those movies, then you don’t know him at all…” Mr. Miyagi has been my dream mentor ever since I was a kid, so I was really happy to read that you and Pat Morita had a great relationship off-screen. How do you think he'd have reacted to Cobra Kai's success? Ralph Macchio's personable and down to earth narrative makes you completely understand how he won over the producers, the director and the writer. He takes you through his life moments from getting the job and meeting his coworkers. It came off fresh as if it happened yesterday. Macchio appeared in the 2007 music video for the song " Sweep the Leg" by No More Kings as a caricature of himself and Daniel from The Karate Kid. [19] [20]

Ralph Macchio just seems like a really NICE guy. He is the narrator for the book, which I always think adds a nice little bit of extra that they are reading their own words, so they can put the inflection and expression on what they feel the most strongly about. He wasn’t kidding about looking young: the man has scarcely a wrinkle and whenever the digital feed turns slightly fuzzy, it occurs to me he could pass for someone half his age. He is sitting in front of a computer in his family home on Long Island in New York, using a room that used to be his study, he says, before he stripped it of movie posters and made it a guest room for his ageing in-laws. He chats with a pleasing, throaty, New York accent, tipping about excitedly in an office chair and making its hinges squeak when he gets into a conversational flow. He wears the T-shirt of a California vineyard, gifted to him by one of his best friends, Stan, who was Macchio’s body double on The Karate Kid all those years ago.

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Ralph Macchio and Phil Hartman screen test". Youtube. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021 . Retrieved October 10, 2014. Open Legislation: Resolution J3158-2009: Congratulating Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Macchio upon the occasion of their 50th Anniversary". NY State Senate. September 10, 2009. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013.