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Ralph Macchio KO’s Claims That The Original ‘Karate Kid’ Was ‘Too White’

Actor Ralph Macchio dismissed claims that his 1984 film “The Karate Kid” was “too white” and did not spend enough time reflecting on the Japanese cultural influence on the martial arts discipline.

Macchio, whose turn as Daniel LaRusso in that movie cemented him as a household name, said last week that he had always believed the movie was ahead of its time – mainly because it addressed the subject of the World War II-era Japanese internment camps.

“People have said it’s a very white cast, that it didn’t dive into the Asian story. But I always say this: The film was ahead of its time because it was a popcorn movie that talked about Japanese internment camps during World War II,” the 60-year-old actor explained.

Ralph Macchio dismisses ‘too White’ criticism of 1984’s ‘Karate Kid’: ‘Ahead of its time’ https://t.co/8xF8HdNYle

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 23, 2022

Macchio went on to say that his late costar, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, attributed his Academy Award nomination to one the scene that address the camps — and his character’s experience during the war.

That scene showed the typically stoic Mr. Miyagi drunk and losing control of his emotions as he remembered his wife — who died in childbirth along with their son in an internment camp — on what would have been their anniversary. The scene ends with Macchio’s Daniel putting his instructor and mentor into bed.

What made the scene so powerful, Macchio argued, was the fact that Morita himself had spent time in the camps. “Pat himself spent two years in the camps. So it had double meaning and some depth,” he said.

Despite the depth and power of the scene, Macchio said it almost ended up on the cutting room floor — over concerns that the movie was too long.

“The studio’s main concern was that with the movie running over two hours, they would lose a daily screening time, and essentially, money in the process. They all shut up once we screened it for them with an audience,” he added.

Macchio returned to the character he made famous decades later, reprising the role of Daniel La Russo for Netflix’s “Cobra Kai.”

Despite some early concerns about coming back to the role, Macchio explains in his new memoir that the series has succeeded in taking what made the films “work” and bringing those elements — “Overcoming the obstacles, finding your way … figuring it out” — to a whole new generation of fans.

In a memoir, Ralph Macchio says he was unsure about returning to the role of Daniel LaRusso in “Cobra Kai.” But the Netflix series successfully captures what made the “Karate Kid” films work: “Overcoming the obstacles, finding your way…figuring it out.” https://t.co/rkMygXNh3g

— New York Times Books (@nytimesbooks) October 23, 2022

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