Ralph Macchio and William Zabka Reunite at Pat Morita’s Funeral, Leading to Friendship Revival and Cobra Kai Success

2024-07-14 03:33:00

Ralph Macchio and William Zabka resumed their friendship at Pat Morita’s funeral, after years of no contact (Netflix)

Before meeting again in the successful series Cobra Kai, the actors Ralph Macchio y William Zabka Their friendship was renewed after being separated for several years. In an interview with PeopleThe two stars shared memories of their renewed bond amid mourning the death of their beloved Marita’s bed.

Macchio and Zabka played teenage rivals Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence in the classic martial arts film Kid Karate. However, after the end of the movie franchise, they completely lost touch. When Marita died in 2005, they both met again at the funeral of the old actress.

“I lived on the East Coast, he lived on the West Coast, and life got worse. When Pat died, we didn’t speak for 15 or 20 years.“Ralph Macchio quoted in the American magazine. When she saw William at the funeral service, he recognized and comforted her at that difficult time.

Pat Morita played the protagonist teacher Daniel LaRusso in “Karate Kid.” (Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)

“He was relieved to see him there. And since then, we started to develop friendship as adults and it was very significant.”

Zabka, 68, explained that Pat Marita was very important in both their lives, as well as being their mentor for a long time. “When he died, he was very sad.. Ron Thomas (the actor who played Bobby) called me on the phone and was like ‘We have to go,’ and we flew to Las Vegas.”

“I knew Ralph would speak, and I felt the weight on him because it was a difficult time. I remember seeing him and it was like I was silently supporting him.. “He gave a beautiful speech,” William said.

William Zabka and Ralph Macchio resumed their friendship as adults, and later returned to the “Miyagiverse” in the Cobra Kai series. (Colombia Pictures)

Amidst the pain, the two actors found comfort and friendship. And for both of them, it is especially symbolic that this happened because of Pat Morita.

“Looking back, It is interesting to see how Miyagi brought us together” explained Zabka. “It was one of those moments where we came from our world to a central point where it all started for both of us and, in a way, That was the ignition of our friendship.. From there it started to grow and evolve.”

In 2018, about 13 years after Morita’s death, Netflix released Cobra Kai as a series derived from Kid Karate. Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence cross paths again as adults. The former reopens the Cobra Kai academy, while the latter is encouraged to open his own dojo, Miyagi-Do.

In 2018, Netflix premiered Cobra Kai, returning to the characters of Daniel and Johnny as adults and exploring their rivalry (Netflix)

Through the seasons, the fiction explores the rivalry of the characters and also shows how their relationships affect the young apprentices now in their care.

The sixth and final installment of the series consists of 15 chapters and is divided into three parts for its release. The first of them will arrive Netflix the 18th of July. In this part of the story, it will be explored more History of Miyagi. As shown People“Daniel will discover certain secrets of the man he thought he knew.”

“We’ve always wanted to connect Miyagi through the series, and this is a way to find a man’s history and add some interest to his identity,” said Ralph Macchio.

Netflix announces that the 6th season of the series Cobra Kai will be divided into three parts Credit: Netflix

“Even though it’s disappointing at first, it’s a positive thing for Daniel. It’s another learning moment, Miyagi is still teaching him things from the grave“.

The second part of season 6 will be available on November 28 this year. Likewise, the end result of Cobra Kai It is scheduled for 2025.