The diary was written on July 22, 1984, when the film that was to write its own story in world cinema and mark an entire generation was released in American theaters. Karate Kid. The movie that made fashion - we would call it karate - that we grew up with and that has returned with the two main characters through Netflix as Cobra kai.
A return that not only did not cause us melancholy over the years - reminding us that we grew up - but on the contrary, caused a global frenzy. The numbers, after all, speak for themselves as the 3rd season of Cobra Kai, according to official data, the first 4 weeks of its screening (that is, since it went up on the platform) It was attended by over 41 million households, while a total of 73 million homes have seen the series.
Karate Kid, then, is done Cobra Kai and today the young learn it and the old remember it. Daniel Larusso and Johnny Lawrence returned mature - close to 60, as in reality - changed with different lives. And this is - according to many, the secret of success - as in the new version of "Karate Kid" are the characters that the audience loved. And an additional element of this success, we would say is the fact that both protagonists, in the years following the triumph of the film, were lost. We knew very little about them and now we meet them again, like some old friends.
The disappearance of the evil "Cobra Kai"
Ο Ralph Macio (Daniel Larusso) Although he had all the prerequisites and recognition for a brilliant career in Hollywood, he chose to dedicate himself to his family (he and his wife have been together since they were 15) and to the theatrical stage. He stayed out of the limelight and what we knew very little about him all these years, was mainly through some tributes of the type: "Where is and what is his little Karate Kid doing today".
Something that did not happen with the villain of "Cobra Kay", Johnny, who also all these years was "disappeared" from secularism and great productions, although he could also professionally redeem the success of Karate Kid. However, it seems that o William (Bill) Zambka he could not escape the "curse" that wanted all the male protagonists of the legendary film not to do something great in the continuation of their careers.
When the film hit theaters in 1984, he was just 18 years old and taking his first steps into acting. Johnny Lawrence, the "bad boy" with the black belt in karate, was essentially his first role. His only experience with the space was a guest appearance on "The Greatest American Hero" and what he saw and heard from his parents, who worked in the entertainment industry as directors and producers.
When he was called to incarnate the evil Johnny, he had no idea about karate. However, he was tall, husky and small and engaged in wrestling. In fact, Ralph Macio later stated that the first time he met him at the auditions, his presentation scared him. But, their collaboration was completely harmonious, unlike the characters they played.
"Karate Kid" premiered and soon exceeded all expectations of its creators and contributors and became a global phenomenon. From one day to the next, Billy Zamba became famous. Probably, to be precise, "Johnny Lawrence" became famous. No, Billy. So, the proposals that came, were for similar roles. As he has confessed, he tried to escape from the role of the cynical karateka, but without success. So he decided to make a drastic decision about his life and career…
"Do not tell me about the Karate Kid"
"Karate Kid" at that time gave him fame, but at the same time trapped him. To such an extent that the actor did not want to hear about the film. «Do not mention the Karate Kid to me!", He even said to his own people. William Zambka wanted to try new things, but the role would not let him. So, among the changes he made to shake him off was to change his appearance.
"A few years after 'Karate Kid' I left long hair, enrolled in a conservatory and quit acting for a while. There was a period when I resisted a lot, because I wanted to keep doing new things. "It's like you like a band and listen to the same old song over and over again," the actor said at one point.
The new beginning
The time of the big change for him came in 1989 after the third and last "Karate Kid", where he participated for a few minutes. For the next two decades, Billy Zambka participated mainly in independent productions, while at the same time he began to study directing. However, none of the films managed to approach the success of "Karate Kid" or at least disconnect its name from the film.
His most notable work as an aspiring director was "Most", a short film that won awards at European festivals and was nominated for an Oscar in 2004, while directing video clips and commercials.
His new life was far from the limelight. He did not occupy the press for no reason, which seemed to have already forgotten him.
Professionally, he tried to try his luck on the small screen, but without much success with the role that will "erase" that of "Johnny Lawrence" not coming.
In 2013 he appeared in an episode of the series "How I met your mother", where the character he had to play was once again himself. According to the plot, the protagonist in his youth was a fan of "Karate Kid" and Johnny Lawrence was his favorite hero. His participation had an impact and he was invited to participate in several episodes of the next season.
"It simply came to our notice then. The gods of television came down from heaven to take me and put me in a successful television series. I was already excited that I had been mentioned in the past - not even me, but Johnny Lawrence. I laughed I remember. At one point they came in contact and said to me: "We want you in an episode where you will be dressed as a clown and in the end you will take off the make-up and your face and the ribbon on your head will be revealed". I thought it would end there, too, in the Karate Kid joke. In the end, all this led to them writing a very beautiful role for me ", Zambka had stated about his participation in the successful show, which was also a success for him, but through… Johnny Lawrence.
Never say never
The truth is that life can play different games for you. And that's the turn for Zambka to live such a strange game. The proposal for Cobra Kai, with essentially the same protagonist 34 years later, was unexpected. The actor accepted her and together with Ralph Macio they returned energetically. The spotlight turned again on the duo, who are once again experiencing glory days. And maybe Billy Zampka once wanted to separate his "bags" with the role that established him, but when life itself came to remind him that this is a relationship that never ends.
"Sometimes you become the character and sometimes the character becomes you," the actor once said. And he was right.