Ralph Macchio Talks 'Embracing'Karate KidNostalgia — and Making a Cameo in a New Coldplay Video

Mar. 15, 2025

Ralph Macchiosays there’s nothing to do but “embrace” nostalgia forThe Karate Kid.

The actor, 63, was a guest on the Wednesday, Nov. 20, episode ofJimmy Kimmel Live, where he told the host all about performing oppositeRobert De NiroandBurt Youngin the 1986 Broadway playCuba and His Teddy Bear, two years after appearing inThe Karate Kid.

Macchio recalled bothJoe Pesci, with whom he would later star inMy Cousin Vinny, andMike Tysoncoming to see the play.

“Mike Tyson’s first Broadway show was me and De Niro,” Macchio said. “And I’ve run into him once or twice since and he always says, ‘I remember that was my first Broadway show,Cuba and His Teddy Bear.’ And he never forgets it.”

Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio in ‘The Karate Kid’ in 1984.Columbia Pictures/Getty

Columbia Pictures/Getty

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Macchio also recalled an even more memorable performance ofCuba and His Teddy Bear. “We did one performance at Rikers Island,” he said of the New York City prison island. “I was a little nervous about it, to be at Rikers. Maybe a lot of Bob De Niro’s friends were there, maybe Burt Young’s family was there,” he joked.

“They were cheering De Niro when he first came out,” Macchio recalled. “Like worshippingTravis Bickle fromTaxi Driver.”

During one scene in which Macchio was involved in a physical struggle with another actor, he said the Rikers crowd was calling out for him to perform his signature moves fromThe Karate Kid. “They were just like, ‘Sweep the leg! Come on!’ ” he said. “They just wanted to see the crane.”

Macchio admitted that to this day, he still hears people reference the film’s “sweep the leg” line all the time. Kimmel suggested that might be both a blessing and a curse.

Ralph Macchio, William Zabka and Yuji Okumoto in ‘Cobra Kai’ in 2024.Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix

Curtis Bonds Baker/Netflix

Macchio certainly has embraced theKarate Kidlegacy. Since 2018, he’s starred in spin-off seriesCobra Kai, which just dropped the second half of its final season on Netflix earlier this month. And next year, he’ll star oppositeJackie Chaninthe franchise’s sixth film,Karate Kid: Legends.

He also recently teamed up with a particularly noteworthy fan,ColdplayfrontmanChris Martin, to appear in the video for the band’s new single, aptly titled “The Karate Kid.”

Macchio explained that his son showed him a clip of Martin performing the song, which appears on the deluxe “Full Moon Edition” of Coldplay’s latest albumMoon Music. “I thought it was a beautiful song, so I posted it,” he said. “Next day, I’m getting a FaceTime from Chris Martin — never met him in my life.”

The singer pitched Macchio his idea for the video, which filmed in Australia and finds the actor lip syncing to Coldplay’s song in various locations before appearing with Martin live onstage.

When Kimmel asked whether the two had kept in touch, the actor admitted that Martin “FaceTimed me yesterday … I just couldn’t talk to him and then he FaceTimed me again, and frankly, I thought this was one-and-done. But, you know, he’s a little annoying.”

The camera then cut to Martin sitting in the studio audience wearing aKarate Kid-esque headband.

“You see what I’m talkin’ about?” Macchio joked. “Listen, he’s a talented kid. I think he’s fantastic.”

Macchio added that a lot of people mistakenly thought Coldplay’s new video was connected to the upcomingKarate Kidfilm. “A lot of people thought that’s what it was for,” he said. But, he said, the film just “inspired some kid named Chris Martin at 7 years old, and here we are. It’s awesome.”

source: people.com