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Ralph Macchio on Why Now Was the Right Time to End ‘Cobra Kai,’ the Future of Daniel LaRusso and That Coldplay Music Video
Serendipity seems to follow Ralph Macchio — and it most recently took him to Australia.
In October, Coldplay released the song “The Karate Kid,” and it’s exactly what you think it’s about, down to the lyrics about “Daniel.” That, of course, is the name of the lead character played by Macchio in three “The Karate Kid” movies and six seasons of Netflix’s “Cobra Kai.” After Macchio heard the tune, he shared it on social media — and that’s when Coldplay concocted a plan. Frontman Chris Martin asked Macchio to come to Australia, where they were playing a series of dates, and film the music video. The ruse included bringing the actor on stage to help perform “The Karate Kid.”
“It was just one of those whirlwind things,” says Macchio, who just returned from Down Under. “It’s just a beautiful track. It blew my mind that he wrote the song, just from the film, which meant so much to him. We certainly had an impact 41 years ago, at least for a young Chris Martin and Coldplay. It never ceases to amaze me, the emotions and feelings that the original film still carries through the decades.”
Macchio is about to experience another one of those moments. As the final season of “Cobra Kai” posts its next five episodes (there are still five to go) this month, Macchio is set to receive his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And his honor will be fittingly placed near the plaque for his late co-star Pat Morita, aka Mr. Miyagi.
“That’s just perfectly wonderful at this point in my life,” Macchio says. The actor, at a youthful 63, is somehow a decade older than Morita was in the original 1984 film. “It’s only fitting I will be Miyagi-adjacent till the end of time, and I couldn’t be prouder and more honored to have that kind of placement. I remember him saying having a star on the Walk of Fame was probably the biggest highlight of his career, coming from humble beginnings. So I’ll get to channel a little bit of the love that he still sprinkles on this ‘Karate Kid’ universe.”
It’s also a complete career full circle moment for Macchio, who remembers visiting the Walk of Fame as a teen in the late 1970s when he moved to Hollywood from his native Long Island, N.Y. to give acting a shot.
“It was the land of hopes and dreams, and I remember I would walk on Hollywood Boulevard looking for Gene Kelly’s star,” Macchio says. “I wanted to be Gene Kelly, ever since my youngest memory. I used to watch the old movie musicals with my mom. And so seeing all those names like Clark Gable, which come from a lot of the films and television shows that I grew up with, it never seemed obtainable.”
Before long, he had a regular role on “Eight Is Enough.” Then came his breakout role in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 feature “The Outsiders,” followed a year later by that life-changing moment in “The Karate Kid.” That crane kick. Wax on, wax off. Daniel-san. All iconic pop culture moments that are forever attached to Macchio. “People still remember where they saw ‘The Karate Kid,’” he says. “I’m incredibly grateful, and feel privileged to be blessed enough to bring joy to people through a character.”
He also starred in the first two “Karate Kid” sequels and held a major role in 1992’s “My Cousin Vinny,” the Joe Pesci starrer that is in endless heavy rotation on basic cable. “I always call it the late-for-dinner movie,” he says. “If it’s on, you’re going to be late for dinner because you have another setup that’s going to pay off and you have to stick to the next one.”
But then came the lean years, which Macchio chronicled in his recent memoir, “Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me.” Macchio was inspired by the philosophy of one of his idols, Michael Caine, who talked about capitalizing on the difficulties you might face in acting and in life.
“I’ve learned to do that,” he says. “There were some difficult times as far as career goes and where I’d wanted it to be. But those are also the years that I was here for my kids at a very young age. It was perfect, especially with this great resurgence and groundswell act that I’m going through right now. I almost couldn’t have written it better, because I get to enjoy it, and it just keeps giving. I mean, the fans never let it disappear.”
Indeed, Macchio never stopped working. In the 2000s, he held a recurring role on “Ugly Betty” and was given several opportunities to play versions of himself — most of which he turned down. But he embraced a few, including on HBO’s “Entourage.”
“If I could tell you the amount of times it was pitched — I said no 90% of the time,” he says. “I went through a phase where I would joke that my name was more famous than I was. ‘Entourage’ was the first time I played myself, and so I was proud because it was a cool industry choice, and a pretty darn good episode as well.”
Then there was the Funny or Die parody “Wax On, F*ck Off,” from filmmaker Todd Holland, which toyed with Macchio’s nice guy persona by trying to turn him into a Hollywood bad boy. “It was the perfect time when people with bad behavior were being rewarded, and I considered myself a good guy,” he says. “So how could I try to make myself more relevant with what works in in Hollywood?
But the real groundwork for “Cobra Kai” came when he and William Zabka guest starred on “How I Met Your Mother” — in which Neil Patrick Harris’ character Barney wanted the hero of the “The Karate Kid” at his party. When Macchio showed up, he was disappointed as he’d considered Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) the good guy.
That dynamic, of course, became the heart of “Cobra Kai,” a new take on the “Karate Kid” characters from Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. Around the time that show began development (originally at YouTube Originals), Macchio had landed a very different kind of role as a vice cop in HBO’s gritty drama “The Deuce.”
“He’s everything that you dream of when you’re think about meeting your heroes,” Hurwitz says. “He’s a kind person. He’s a family man. It extends to how he carries himself on set as the No. 1 on the call sheet. He’s a role model to a whole group of young actors on our show.”
Heald interjects: “It’s easy to see, upon meeting him for the very first time, that he’s one of the most authentic people you’ll ever meet. He is thoughtful as a performer and a producer and now a director, and in the way that you want as a collaborator.”
Now, as “Cobra Kai” ends, Macchio says the timing “just feels right” to “land it but in a great way.” But this isn’t the end for Macchio as Daniel LaRusso. He will revive the character again opposite Jackie Chan in “The Karate Kid: Legends,” which takes place three years after the events of “Cobra Kai.”
“It was not a quick decision, because it was about protecting the Daniel LaRusso character, and finding where he would be at that point, and then protecting the whole legacy in the Miyagi-verse,” says Macchio. “Once we were able to line that up, for the ‘Cobra Kai’ story to lead into the new film — even though they’re separate ecosystems — it all made sense for me. Then, working with Jackie was just super exciting. I started this on the big screen. How cool is it to get it back to the big screen?”
As for what’s next, Macchio is keen on pursuing more directing and hopes to help Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg turn a Mr. Miyagi origins series into fruition. Plus, he wants to explore other characters beyond the “Karate Kid” universe.
Will “The Karate Kid: Legends” mark his final bow as Daniel? “I don’t want to overstay the welcome of a character that’s so beloved,” he says. “But he’s aging like I am, so there could be other areas to explore as well. Never say never.”
The United States House of Representatives has passed a resolution to rein in President Donald Trump’s powers to attack Iran without congressional authorisation.
Four Republicans joined Democrats to pass the bill in a vote of 215 to 208 on Wednesday in Washington, DC.
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While the resolution is unlikely to become law, it represents a stark rebuke against Trump’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran on February 28, launching an ongoing conflict that will reach its 100th day on Saturday.
Trump did not seek congressional approval for the war, which he has attempted to label as a “skirmish” or a “short-term excursion”.
The Republican leader’s repeated use of military force abroad has frustrated some leaders in Congress, a body which the Constitution solely imbued with the power to declare war.
Wednesday’s vote marked the fourth time this year that the House has voted on a war powers resolution to force Trump to seek congressional backing for his military actions against Iran.
It is the first time, however, that the resolution has been successful in the House. Its passage comes after a political manoeuvre that some interpreted as a Republican effort to scuttle the bill.
A divide among Republicans
A vote on the war powers resolution was expected on May 21, the eve of Congress’s Memorial Day recess.
But the vote was cancelled, despite indications that the resolution would succeed with Republican support. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican and close Trump ally, chose to adjourn the chamber early.
The resolution, however, was picked up again after the recess. In Wednesday’s vote, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky splintered away from the Republican establishment to pass the bill.
Massie, whose re-election bid Trump actively campaigned against, marked the occasion with a message on social media.
“The Iran War Powers Resolution that I cosponsored (opposing the war) just passed the House of Representatives,” Massie wrote. “The People’s House is sending a message: end this war.”
Massie will not be returning to Congress next year. He was defeated last month in his local Republican Party primary by a Trump-backed opponent, Ed Gallrein.
Barrett, whose House seat is vulnerable to a Democratic takeover in November’s midterms, explained his vote by arguing that Trump had exceeded his mandate.
“Congress has the exclusive authority under the Constitution to declare war and authorize the use of force. The War Powers Act of 1973 delegates some of that authority to the president for a limited period of time,” Barrett, an army veteran, wrote.
“That authority has expired, and my support of this resolution tonight is consistent with my belief that it is time for Congress to decide the scope of the mission and the appropriate limits on the use of force in Iran.”
Democrats call on Senate to act
While Trump’s war on Iran has divided House Republicans, the chamber’s Democrats were unanimous in their backing of the war powers resolution. After the vote, several urged their colleagues in the Senate to swiftly pass the measure.
“We passed an Iran War Powers Resolution in the House to rein in Trump and end his unauthorized, reckless war,” Representative Ayanna Pressley, a progressive from Massachusetts, wrote on social media. “The Senate must immediately follow suit and act to end this war.”
Representative Shontel Brown of Ohio, meanwhile, underscored the constitutional issues raised by Trump’s war, as well as its cost.
“Congress holds the power to declare war—not the executive branch,” she said in a post. “After months of chaos, higher costs, and wasted resources, it is time to end Trump’s costly war in Iran NOW.”
The war on Iran has been costly for the US, with the Pentagon estimating in May that $29bn had been spent so far.
Some analysts consider this an undercount, though. In April, a public finance expert at Harvard University projected that the price tag could soar to more than $1 trillion.
There are also concerns that the war has cost the US in terms of military preparedness.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a US-based research institute, issued a report in April warning that certain critical munitions have run low, with the number used outstripping the number of anticipated replacements.
They include Tomahawk missiles, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems (THAADs) and Precision Strike missiles (PrSMs).
Public backlash growing
US voters broadly disapprove of the US-Israel war against Iran. A poll last month from the Marist Institute for Public Opinion found that 60 percent of US citizens disapprove of Trump’s approach to the war, a jump from 54 percent in March.
The increase was even seen among Republicans. While 15 percent disapproved of Trump’s handling of the war in March, the number has since increased to 22 percent.
Among US citizens overall, 61 percent found that the war had done “more harm than good”.
The growing disapproval reflects, in part, the economic backlash to the war, which has sent prices for fuel and other products like agricultural fertiliser skyrocketing.
The Trump administration has also faced criticism for the unprovoked nature of the February 28 attack, though the president and his allies have argued the war was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
More than 3,400 people have died in Iran during the war. At least 13 US soldiers have also been killed in the conflict, which spilled into nearby countries, with deaths reported across the region.
Wednesday’s House war powers resolution now proceeds to the Senate, which passed a similar bill in May.
But it faces an uphill battle overall, as Trump is likely to veto any attempt to curtail his military powers.
Only a bill passed with a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate can overcome a presidential veto. So far, neither the Senate’s version, nor the House’s, has breached that threshold.
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Kuwait decried Iranian attacks in a statement issued by its foreign affairs ministry, saying that the Kuwait International Airport had been targeted.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the State of Kuwait’s condemnation and denunciation, in the strongest terms, of the brutal and ongoing Iranian attacks using ballistic missiles and drones, the latest of which occurred at dawn today, targeting once again civilian and vital facilities, including Kuwait International Airport, resulting in the death of one individual, injuries to others, and damage to vital facilities, including diplomatic missions,” part of the statement declared, according to a translation of the Arabic-language post on X.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense spokesperson had indicated that a building at Kuwait International Airport was damaged and people were injured, according to a post on X by the official account of Kuwait Army general staff headquarters.
IRANIANS SPEAK OUT OVER POSSIBLE TRUMP-REGIME DEAL
People are seen at Kuwait International Airport in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on June 1, 2026. (Jaber Abdulkhaleq/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The Official Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, stated that a number of hostile drones targeted today the passenger building (T1) at Kuwait International Airport as a result of the criminal Iranian aggression, which resulted in significant material damage to the building and injuries to a number of individuals, who received the necessary medical care,” according to a translation of the Arabic-language post.
“He affirmed that the armed forces are monitoring the situation in coordination with the relevant authorities, and they are in a state of complete readiness to deal with any developments, and to take all necessary measures to preserve the security of the country and its stability,” the post added.
The Iranian hostilities come more than three months since the start of the U.S. war against the Islamic Republic.
In a Tuesday statement, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) indicated that America had engaged in “self-defense strikes” against Iran.
US MILITARY ATTACKS IRAN IN ‘SELF-DEFENSE STRIKES’ OVER WEEKEND
Imam Sadiq (AS) mosque with a giant Iranian flag installed on its front at the Palestine Square in Tehran on April 19, 2026. (ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)
“U.S. forces successfully defeated multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, and conducted self-defense strikes on Qeshm Island in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East, June 2. Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors; however, all failed to hit their intended targets. Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by U.S. and Bahrain air defense forces,” the release noted.
“Moments earlier, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces shot down three one-way attack drones launched by Iran toward civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters. American forces also conducted self-defense strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island. No U.S. personnel were harmed. CENTCOM forces remain vigilant and ready to defend against unwarranted Iranian aggression during the ongoing ceasefire,” the statement added.
TRUMP INSISTS IRAN TALKS ARE ON, SAYING DEAL IS ‘NOT A SIMPLE THING’
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth listens as Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on April 16, 2026, in Arlington, Va. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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CENTCOM noted in a post on X that, “An additional wave of Iranian drones attempting to attack U.S. forces in Kuwait failed to impact intended targets tonight. U.S. Central Command air defenses successfully downed multiple drones and ensured no American personnel or assets were harmed.”
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