I did wish he talked more about Part II, and sadly Part III - even though he did dislike that film. I wanted more information about the making of those two. But I think he feels more grounded and proud of his work in Part I. Macchio was born in Huntington, New York. [1] He is the son of Rosalie (née DeSantis) and Ralph George Macchio Sr., who owned a few laundromats and a wastewater disposal company. Ralph has a younger brother Steven. [2] His father is of half Italian and half Greek [3] descent, and his mother is of Italian ancestry. [4] In a 1980 screen test, Macchio said his family was from Naples. [5] In 1979, Macchio graduated from Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills, New York. [6] Macchio, star of 1984’s The Karate Kid, produces another feel-good hit with this breezy reflection on his experience making the movie…Macchio writes, ‘The film is a prime example of when Hollywood gets it all right. It teaches and inspires through pure entertainment.’ Fans will find this just as entertaining.”— Publishers Weekly I put a counter-proposal to Macchio: that it is thrusting people, more forceful people, who benefit most from opportunities. In other words, maybe being nice has not always served his interests. “Huh. That’s interesting. Maybe I did undercut myself. I’m thinking this through now – this is a new thought in my mind. What happens is, it’s very hard not to become desperate when you want to find work that isn’t there. There was a section of time when that was happening to me. That’s often when actors go off the deep end or down a dark path. Because it’s such a seductive thing, success.” He kept out of trouble, he guesses, because he was always more interested in his Long Island life than his Hollywood one. He was nice.

Ralph Macchio and Phil Hartman screen test". Youtube. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021 . Retrieved October 10, 2014. Ralph Macchio just seems like a really NICE guy. He is the narrator for the book, which I always think adds a nice little bit of extra that they are reading their own words, so they can put the inflection and expression on what they feel the most strongly about. Taking risks, being more kneejerk with decisions, with your lifestyle,” he says, “that probably does create more opportunity. I get that. But it wasn’t me.” Haddad, Vincent (February 11, 2019). "Masculinity on the Mat". Public Books. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020 . Retrieved October 19, 2019.

Success!

Ralph Macchio: It's great to hear from you guys about that because we [the actors] are so inside of it that we don't know. And the writers do a great job of knowing what you guys want. Moreso than I can see. That was a great deal of fun. I mean, my first fight with Silver was in episode 5, LaRusso gets beaten up pretty bad. The Karate Kid remake was an absolute mess. I watched it. Not in theaters, thank goodness. It was a mess, and unworthy of the franchise. It used to bothered me about how young I looked for my age. I remember when I was in high school and my best friend at the time commented so negatively how I looked twelve even though I was eighteen. it really hurt my feelings and it used to scare me that professionals would only see me as a kid it would think I didn't know what I was doing. I used to be mad at my mom because she cursed me with a younger looking face. I mostly embrace the fact that I will age well in the future. Macchio has to leave in a minute. It’s his wife Phyllis’s birthday and they’re off to see a standup gig. The comedian Amy Schumer, another Long Island native, and an admitted Karate Kid obsessive, is performing at a local theatre. Macchio is trying to decide whether to attend incognito, wearing a baseball cap and PPE mask, or whether to risk it and go disguise-free. What’s the worst that could happen, I ask him? Schumer makes a few jokes at your expense? She ignores the fact that you’re a 60-year-old and refers to you as “the Karate Kid”? Macchio’s] down-to-earth writing style suits the behind-the-scenes tales and his heartwarming meetings with fans well… Macchio’s sweet, nostalgic memoir is as family-friendly and instructive as its inspiration.” —Kirkus

Lenzi, Linda (September 21, 2010). "Photo Coverage: Cantone, Macchio et al. in A ROOM OF MY OWN". Broadway World. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011 . Retrieved June 24, 2011. Macchio covers all things Karate Kid, serving up behind-the-scenes dish about the making of the film, warm remembrances of those he’s lost…and lessons learned from a life in the public eye.” There was an effortless ease from the first reading with Pat Morita, who played Mr Miyagi, Daniel’s mentor. It felt as if we had been kissed by some soulful magic. Mr Miyagi is The Karate Kid. He’s a human Yoda, a father figure, the secret sauce that makes the film not just another 1980s coming-of-age movie. I don't want to retell stories Macchio shares in the book. My suggestion is - if you were raised on the Karate Kid movie (any of the Karate Kid movies, except the irrelevant Will Smith rendition/remake), or if you are just now getting into the Cobra Kai series, I highly recommend reading Macchio's Waxing On.I loved everything about how Daniel beat Terry Silver at the end of Cobra Kai season 5. That was his greatest victory in the show so far. I’ve been infatuated with him since Eight is Enough. While he’s only 8 years older than I am (a big difference when you’re only 10) he looked my age and he was from Long Island just like me !! Like he lived less than a half hour from me !! Being that I am the age demographic for the Karate Kid sequels (not the movie), and I love 80's movies, I didn't grow up with the Karate Kid film. I DID grow up with the Hilary Swank one since it was always on TV. As I got older, I knew that I had to eventually watch the first one, since the only thing on TV was the Part II and III. Never Part 1. So seeing this book come out and talk about Ralph's time in Karate Kid? Whee. Let me at this book! I read it all in one sitting.

I really related to his story about how everyone made some sort of comment about how young he looked for his age in the chapter,"freezing in time." This chapter reflected on his feelings and struggles about how everyone portrait him just as the karate kid and how he felt frozen in time and how he wanted to been seen just as more as that. But he noted how it use to bother when people always saw him as a kid because of how young he looked for his age and how he made peace with that. He was the only Teen Beat crush whose posters I had on my wall. Then came The Outsiders, then The Karate Kid … I was in love 🥰 or definitely crushing hard. a b Freeman, Hadley (August 25, 2020). "Karate Kid Ralph Macchio: 'I'm at peace with the choices I made' ". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 23, 2021 . Retrieved August 23, 2021.Macchio began tap dancing lessons at the age of three and was discovered by a talent agent when he was 16 years old. [1] Career [ edit ] Early roles [ edit ] American Gypsies: Q&A With Executive Producer Ralph Macchio". National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013 . Retrieved October 4, 2013. Actually, I have a little Greek in the bloodstream as well (my Dad is half Greek). All that is to say, I've been in a big "Karate Kid" mood lately. When I saw that Ralph Macchio had written a recent memoir, reading it was a no brainer.

If you are a diehard fan of the original Karate Kid movies and current Cobra Kai series, you will enjoy this book. Thank you to Penguin Randomhouse audio and Ralph Macchio for the ALC. I have loved The Karate Kid for my entire life - this was not only entertaining, but very special for me ❤️ Oh, he wouldn’t mind that, Macchio says. It’s more that tonight is supposed to be about Phyllis. No, he says, whenever someone calls him the Karate Kid these days he feels two distinct emotions: “Pride, and privilege. It sounds like I’m feeding you bullshit, but I’m not. It’s been a unique experience. It’s been a unique existence. How healthy is it, at the age of 60, to sit in nostalgia so much? I don’t know. I just know I’m at peace with it.”Beginning in 2018, Macchio reprised his role as Daniel LaRusso in Cobra Kai, an action comedy-drama series that began on YouTube Red and later moved to Netflix. Cobra Kai begins in the fall of 2017, and re-examines the " Miyagi-Verse" narrative from Johnny's point of view, beginning with his decision to reopen the Cobra Kai karate dojo, and the rekindling of his old rivalry with Daniel. [25] Along with William Zabka, he is also a co-executive producer of the series. [1] [26] Memoir [ edit ]