-I'm psyched about this. I couldn't wait to read it.
I couldn't wait to have you on to talk about it.
"Waxing On." Congrats on this. -Thank you, man.
-What was it like to write a full-on memoir?
-Well, you know, I wanted to dive into telling the story of
walking in the shoes of this Daniel LaRusso character
and everything I've gained from it.
And the -- It's equal parts
nostalgia and contemporary relevance.
It's very unique to have something that I made in 1983
that is relevant today because you folks won't let it go away,
and it's awesome.
-Yeah, exactly. It's fantastic. -And so...
[ Cheers and applause ]
Yeah, so, I wrote it during season 4 and 5
of shooting "Cobra Kai."
We were -- It was during the pandemic,
so I had my lockdown times, ordering room service
and sort of going through the emotional ups and downs
of the making of the film,
the behind-the-scenes untold stories,
the launch of the summer of '84,
what that was like for me and the afterlife.
And it's a celebration of that movie
and pop culture and cinema and my life.
-Also, I want to hear all the great stories, too.
I know in here, there's the audition for "Karate Kid,"
which I love that you wore a Tom Petty sweatshirt.
-Yes, I did.
Well, the thing with the Tom Petty sweatshirt --
And a Members Only jacket.
So if I had a mullet, I would have been the poster child --
-For the '80's, yeah, exactly.
-But the Tom Petty sweatshirt was because it was
a thick material and I was always so insecure about
my shoulders being so skinny, hence why I'm wearing a jacket.
So I would pick wardrobe for auditions to, you know,
look a little full-- Listen, frankly, my shoulders
have been on back order since the late '70s.
-Okay. Alright. Yeah, okay.
-So, they're supposed to come in this week.
-But you're supposed to be a kid that's going to get in
shape enough to become the Karate Kid.
-Yeah, that's what I -- I don't know.
I think maybe it was the only thing that wasn't in the hamper.
-Yeah. -Maybe that's why --
-But you charmed the director, though,
'cause you went -- The auditions were here
in the Upper East Side, right?
-Yeah, Upper East Side.
The late, great John Avildsen, who directed
"Rocky" and "The Karate Kid" and other great, great films.
I went to his apartment, and he said --
At the end of the audition, he goes,
"Listen, I can't guarantee you anything,
but if I were you, I'd start taking karate lessons."
-Really? -I was like, "Alright.
That's pretty good for the first date."
I was jumping-out-of-my-shoes excited. I mean...
-Pat Morita -- you have great stories about that.
That must have been emotional. I know you miss him.
-He was the soulful magic, was the root of
the secret sauce of "The Karate Kid."
-People don't even know that he did stand-up for a while.
-No, he was a comic.
He was the guy -- I was so jealous of him back in the day
because he would do a scene about, you know,
internment camps during World War II
and Miyagi's backstory,
and losing -- tragedy in his life.
And then he would cut and he would just lay into, like,
cross-eyed zingers and fart jokes.
And then he'd go -- When I would --
I'd be like, "I can't turn that on."
I'd be like, "I'm doing a dramatic scene.
Everybody sit down, clear the camera."
You know? And so I was jealous.
-But he almost wasn't cast, right?
Because it was -- -Yeah.
No one in the studio wanted
Arnold from "Happy Days" as Mr. Miyagi.
It was just -- For all the --
No one else could have played that role.
I mean, it was just --
-It was Jerry Weintraub?
-Jerry Weintraub was like,
"There's no way I'm going to have this guy in my picture."
He wound up -- And then with John Avildsen, the director,
and folks said -- And I was the same way.
I was like, "You know, I don't know about that," you know?
We were all thinking of the direction.
But the moment I met Pat, the moment we, you know,
shared the yin and yang of it, the give-and-take,
it was just unconditional, genuine love.
-And then Jerry was like --
-Jerry was like, "Yeah, I made the biggest mistake of my life.
You got the part. I was right all along."
-Yeah. "I called it. I knew you were the one."
Yeah, he's the greatest.
Everyone's talking about "Cobra Kai."
We're loving the new season.
We're wondering if there's going to be another season.
We're hoping. There has to be.
-Yeah, well, we're counting on it.
It's not officially picked up, so tell your friends,
call your family, keep watching.
-Write in to Netflix, an e-mail, whatever you got to do.
-Write and call your congressman, senators, whatever.
I think -- We're feeling really confident.
-I think you're just opening it up.
I mean, you're going international now this season.
-Yeah, that's the thing. They've teed it up.
The writers of the show are just so, so smart.
They've teed up the next level.
Just when you think, in this karate soap opera,
all is well, another door is going to open.
-Whatever it is, do what you keep doing,
keep it up, because it is fantastic,
what you're doing right now.
We love you. Ralph Macchio! I want to show a clip.
Here's Ralph Macchio in Season 5 of "Cobra Kai."
Take a look at this.
-Terry Silver -- this is how everyone sees him,
as some kind of philanthropist
out to save the kids of the Valley.
That's why you're here.
I tried to stop Cobra Kai on my own.
Nothing's worked.
There's only one way to end this.
We have to cut the head off the snake.
-Hai, Daniel-san. I can do that.
-Whoa! No. No, no.
I didn't mean literally cut his head off.
-They're not for cutting.
They are for blocking and stabbing
and clawing and gouging --
-Okay, please, put them away before Amanda sees them.
-Come on. Ralph Macchio, everybody!
Season 5 of "Cobra Kai" is streaming now on Netflix.
Check out his book, "Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me,"
out October 18th.
We'll be right back with Jennifer Beals.
Stick around, everybody!