Ralph Macchio, 63: If My Teenage Self Saw Me Now, He’d Be Like ‘Yeah, Right’

Few actors have found a character so beloved by fans that they get to play him for 40 years — but Ralph Macchio is that guy in the Karate Kid and Cobra Kai franchises. Sweet and vulnerable, yet manly, not afraid to be in love, Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso was the heartthrob of every ’80s tween. This month, Macchio reprises the role in Karate Kid: Legends, passing his tenugui (headband) to Ben Wang as the bullied kid and starring Jackie Chan as his sensei. AARP recently spoke to Macchio about his journey from Karate Kid to Karate Bro to Karate Elder Statesman, and what it’s like to be both an American icon and a suburban dad.

1. He’s been an underdog icon for 40-plus years

The first Karate Kid was when I was 22, and I’m still playing that character. Sometimes it has been great, and sometimes it has been confining. But I take pride in paying the legacy forward.

2. A hoofer wannabe

I took dance as a kid. I wanted to be Gene Kelly from the moment I first saw those MGM musicals.

3. He wanted to grow up faster than he did

I’d been in Eight Is Enough, then got this part in The Outsiders, an amazing movie with an amazing cast. I thought I was beyond the teen-heartthrob thing, answering questions like, “What’s your favorite color?” for magazines. But when I went to see [Outsiders director Francis Ford] Coppola, he had a bunch of teen magazines on his desk because he was figuring out who kids wanted to see. So here’s my note to a young person: Be careful what you think you might know at a young age.

4. The ’80s teen crush only fell for one girl

I got to work with beautiful, dynamic actresses like Elisabeth Shue and Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny), so people are like, well, who was the one? And I know this is lame, but my girlfriend-wife was the one. We met at like 15, 16 — and I wasn’t looking anyplace else.

5. He didn’t stray very far

I was a Long Island kid, and I still live in the ’burbs. My parents are there — they’ll be the first ones grabbing this article, I’m sure. We all get AARP The Magazine now!

6. He only recently took up martial arts

In the ’80s, I was like, “Are we done shooting?” Getting kicked is not fun. But in the past seven or eight years — since I went back to playing my Karate Kid character on Cobra Kai — I’ve gotten into martial arts. But no, I don’t start the day kicking and punching. Screaming, maybe, but not kicking and punching.

7. You’d think someone would have tried to pick a fight with him

When we were shooting the final fight sequence of Karate Kid, the assistant director said, “You know, I worked on Rocky, and Stallone has to deal with people confronting him all the time, so you might be dealing with that.” I had this fear like, When this movie comes out, everyone’s going to beat the crap out of me. I wish I had that story. But they just look at me and go like, “Eh, he’s fine.”

8. He keeps it real

Will I be playing this role in my walker? Maybe, if there’s genuine honesty and it feels fresh. I’ve learned to never say never.