Cobra Kai star Ralph Macchio was terrified of facing Jackie Chan in the upcoming Karate Kid movie. Actor Jacob Bertrand, who also stars as Eli ‘Hawk’ Moskowitz in the Netflix series, spoke to GamesRadar+ about the upcoming film starring the one-and-done action and karate legend.
The actor recalled his conversation with Macchio, in which Macchio praised Chan’s fighting skills. Bertrand told the outlet that he “still moves like a 20-year-old and it’s really scary to fight with him.” But that’s like stating the obvious because he’s “obviously a master and great to work with” and doing an action movie with martial artist “freaking Jackie Muh-freaking Chan” would easily be nerve-wracking.
However, Macchio told Bertrand that the fight scenes were “great” and that all of his work looked great. “I’m excited for the movie,” Bertrand said. The highly anticipated Karate Kid movie, which is slated to be released next year, features a new group of young actors.
Although Bertrand was a major figure in the Netflix series Cobra Kai, he is not in the film. However, he often spoke with Macchio about his experiences and updates, especially since Chan is involved in the project.
Macchio, who plays Daniel LaRusso on the show, shared a number of insights and on-set anecdotes about the young cast, including one where Bertrand said they were really talented, but not as good as him. “He was saying that the young cast was really talented — but they’re not as good as me, and nobody was really on my level,” the actor said.
However, he dismissed it, saying that it was Macchio’s words “verbatim” and that he was probably joking. A Karate Kid reboot was announced for 2023, starring Macchio and Chan alongside a new protagonist played by Ben Wang. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Macchio revealed that the film will have ties to the Netflix series.
“The new movie is all about being honest and true to the character and what would motivate any of his actions,” he said, adding that he took references from the upcoming season of Cobra Kai to understand some of the scenes in the movie. “It helps motivate all the actions, and hopefully fans will see that thread in a good way,” he added.
Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 2 will premiere on Netflix on November 15, followed by Part 3 in 2025. Meanwhile, The Karate Kid will hit theaters on May 30, 2025.
