Please welcome Xolo Maridueña.
-♪ ♪ -(cheering, applause)
-Xolo Maridueña, welcome to the show. -Yes. Thank you.
-Thank you for having me. -It's so good to have you here.
You-you are experiencing a trajectory
that few people have ever experienced.
Obviously, people love you on Cobra Kai, you know?
Every outlet from E! News
all the way through to, like--
every publication online is just like, you are the it guy.
I-I think I read somewhere,
they said you are the Internet's boyfriend.
-The Internet's boyfriend. Okay. That's-- -Yeah.
I haven't heard that one before.
I should-- I think my mom maybe wrote that.
Maybe she was-she was-- I think maybe she was
-putting in a good word for me. -But you really are
-having a great run. Congratulations -Thank you.
I mean, Cobra Kai-- what is it, season five now?
Season five, yeah, yeah. I hope we get to do another one.
-(cheering, applause) -Seems like you will.
-Five seasons. -It seems like you will.
It's a really popular show. I-I've always wondered this--
you know, because the show is so popular,
I grew up watching The Karate Kid, right? -Right.
And then I see this show, and then you're on it,
and I'm like, "You weren't even alive
-No. No. -when the The Karate Kid came out."
I was barely alive when the Jaden Smith one came out.
-I-I... I, uh... - (laughing)
No, I had seen it, though.
-I mean, it-it's pivotal. -Okay, okay, okay.
It's every, yeah, I feel like everyone has seen it, right?
-I-I... Yeah, it's... -(applause)
It definitely is-is, uh...
-something that only until the show had released -Yeah.
did I realize was so close to so many people's hearts.
-It-it's like, it-it's part of the lore. -Mm-hmm.
It's part of, you know, it went around the world...
It's like they got their own Marvel Cinematic Universe.
They're bringing people from the past. Yeah, they're...
-It does feel like that. -Yeah, yeah.
-Let's talk a little bit about, um, the show itself. -Yes.
You know, you're learning martial arts and everything.
-You're learning your karate. -Mm-hmm, yeah.
Do-do you actually learn?
'Cause I like how people get to learn the stuff
on the shows they're doing.
Can you fight?
I can fight, yes.
-I don't know if I can fight well. -Ah.
I think, if I were to be in a fight in real life,
I'd be like, "Can you throw it with the other hand?
I only know how to block it on this side."
-I practiced it this way. -Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
"If there was a camera, I'd beat you up right."
-Exactly, exactly, exactly. -It's that type of vibe. Yes.
But, uh, you know, I was very fortunate that the character
didn't know karate either at the beginning.
So I was able to play it along.
Like, I remember being in the chemistry read
and-and faking that I couldn't do a push-up.
And they were like, "This guy's hilarious.
This guy's... this guy's our guy."
And I was like, "What?"
"His timing is crazy."
But now you've gotten better, I'm assuming.
But now I can do a push-up, yes.
-(laughter and applause) -Yeah.
Um...
You know, the-the show is beloved.
You are also somebody who people are getting to know.
You-You've had a really interesting journey.
I mean, you started acting at the age of ten, I believe.
Ten, yeah, yeah.
Like, how are you normal?
-I... -No, and I ask this honestly.
I feel like a lot of child stars aren't well-adjusted,
and as they grow up, they become, they become like...
And I understand what happens to them.
-I'm not even blaming them. -No, no, no.
But you seem normal. You know, I-I met your mom.
-She's great and... -Yeah, she's like...
Yeah, she's normal as well.
I, you know, I think...
I mean, I-I to public school most of my life.
Like, I, even in high school, I was,
I kept along with the curriculum.
-I was in a regular high school. I-I... -Okay.
And my-my core group of friends are the friends
that I've had for the longest time,
-I think. -That's the secret.
A-And I was also really blessed
that Cobra Kai blew up over the pandemic.
So I wasn't, I wasn't out and about.
-Right, right, right. -There wasn't, like,
walking around with, you know, the Stranger Things kids,
like, "Oh, don't take pictures!"
It was, it was-- I was at home like, "Oh, man."
(both laugh)
Going to Trader Joe's with my mask on, like,
-"Guys? Nobody?" -"Do you know who's under here?"
-Yeah. Yeah. -Oh...
It's-it's-it's-it's been so cool to see y-your rise because,
I mean, obviously Cobra Kai is great,
but now, I mean, to be a superhero--
this is, this is almost everyone's dream.
You know, DC tapped you as the Blue Beetle, which is historic,
and what's also impressive is that you-- they didn't ask you
to audition for the role.
No.
I think-- you know, I was very fortunate.
I-I had met the director Angel Manuel Soto, who is, who is--
you know, I-I give him credit for all of this
because he-he really believed in me.
And, uh, I had met him at-at Sundance
a few years prior to the movie
and, and I guess I left somewhat of an impression,
and he had watched the show and he was like,
"Ah, I think this is perfect."
And obviously we had had conversations.
It wasn't like I got a call like, "You got it.
-You're the guy," and I was like... -That would be great.
Yes, that would, that would be great.
-"You are the Blue Beetle." -"You are..."
I'm like, "What? Okay."
A package gets sent with the scarab-- no, no, no.
Um, but we had conversations about it.
-Yeah. -And I think we were really on the same page
with what the movie, what the movie meant, you know,
not only to myself and him but to the greater community.
-Right, right, right. -The greater, uh, you know,
-brown community? -Yeah, definitely.
-Latino community? -Yeah, no.
And we were on the same page, so we were like, "Let's do it!"
-(applause) -It means so much to the community...
It-it also means so much to see somebody as young as you
in an industry that for so long was defined in a certain way
redefining what that industry is.
I-- you know, I-I wonder, even beyond how people perceive you,
how do you process the world that you're in,
you know, with social media, with all these things?
Because the previous generation of actors and, and celebrities
didn't have to deal with that.
D-Do you ever find that there's a lot of pressure
to be in two worlds? You can't just focus on what you do?
You have to focus on how people see you online?
Or is that just part of your life?
I-- Yes, I think it definitely is...
-something to think about. -Mm-hmm.
But, also, I-I like to have fun.
I-- Like, I-I definitely am a big proponent of, like,
you can't-- you can't take yourself too seriously.
Like, I-I would love to do Vogue and stuff like that,
-but, also, I, uh... -(laughs)
...pull out my butt cheeks all the time.
Like, I-I... I'm definitely a normal 21-year-old.
And-and my family was super...
Like, they are also always like, "Just-- You're also a kid.
-Like, you can be a kid, and that's okay." -Yeah.
And-and, obviously, there's a sense of professionalism
-that comes with being in this industry. -Right, right.
But that all kind of came naturally,
-working around adults all the time and-and... -Mm-hmm.
The first show that I ever worked on for a couple years,
uh, was this show called Parenthood,
and I was around only adults.
So it was-- it was kind of odd being around, like,
Ray Romano or these guys.
And I was just like, "Yeah, we're-we're having
-regular conversations and..." -These are my coworkers.
Yeah, these are my coworkers.
And then I would go back to school.
Like, nobody would believe me, 'cause nobody at--
as a middle schooler, watched Parenthood.
-They were like-- So... -(laughs)
They were like, "My mom's cried to you."
But I don't-- I don't know. The-- So, I-I was...
You know, with the social media, I-I've been able to, uh,
-kind of just do me, I suppose. -I like that. I like...
-Thanks. -I think that's a great motto for life,
is, like, you know, do what you do, work really hard,
but always remember
-to pull your butt cheeks out. -Always remember
-to pull your butt cheeks out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. -I like that.
-Congratulations on everything. -Thank you. Thank you,
-thank you. -Thank you for coming on the show.
Xolo Maridueña, everybody.