Rumble Fish actors considered were Nicolas Cage and Chris Penn. Avildsen was impressed with Macchio when he saw him in The Outsiders. Also considered for Daniel were Macchio’s Outsiders castmates Emilio Estevez, Leif Garrett, C. Hinton teen movie adaptations became was the springboard for casting. Avildsen referred to them as "the dynamic duo" and “the strawberry shortcake and the cannoli.” She had been a commercial actress for five years, also starring in ads for Chewels chewing gum and Atari.Įlisabeth Shue was the first actress Raph Macchio read with for the role of Ali and, by all accounts, they had instant chemistry. Macchio wore his vulnerability on the surface.Īt the time, Shue was recognizable as the Burger King girl, featured in the fast food restaurants ad campaign at the time. Avildsen said Downey is a great actor, but lacked the vulnerability Daniel portrays. Who came in to audition after Macchio? Robert Downey, Jr. Ralph Macchio, Elisabeth Shue and Pat Morita were the first actors seen for their respective roles. Actors, take note: there’s something to be said for being the first person seen for a part. Macchio audition consisted of the Halloween beatdown and meeting Ali for the first time. I’ve always said when I first read the script, I felt like I was getting a cavity, it was just too sweet.” Macchio said, “There’s a ton of guys out in the hallway, all joking about the hideousness of the title and how corny it was. John Avildsen had auditions at his apartment in New York. The founders of this practice believed in intense training, and Kamen trained for four hours every day. His sensei – who spoke little English – had trained under one of the founders of Okinawan Gōjū-ryū, named…. His first sensei was a former Marine who, according to a Sports Illustrated article, “preached raw violence.” Kamen wanted the spiritual connection and found Okinawan Gōjū-ryū, which is focused on self-defense, as well as developing physical and mental well-being. To learn to defend himself, he took karate. When he was 12, he was beaten up by a group of bullies at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Robert Mark Kamen, who was fresh off the young male drama Taps, was hired to write the story. When the bullies learned he was doing karate, they left him alone. His mother enrolled him at a karate studio on Ventura Blvd. Producer Jerry Weintraub optioned a story he saw on the local news about a non-athletic, not “well built” 9-year-old kid from the Valley who was constantly getting beaten up on his way home from school. The Karate Kid is based on two true stories. Everyone loves to make fun of the helicopter parenting that exists now, but what happens to Daniel is EXACTLY why Gen Xers grew up to become helicopter parents: they know firsthand what can happen to kids who have no supervision and no guidance. But, the result of this? Helicopter parents. Maybe it was being tormented by an older sibling, maybe it was the bullies, maybe it was not doing well in school, maybe it was just feeling like parents didn’t care or couldn’t be bothered. But, Gen X rebelled against parents who "just don't understand" and kids felt left to their own devices. It's hard to imagine a teen in any prior generation would feel it was his place to say something like that to a parent because, of course, a kid would've had no say in such a major life decision. When Daniel says to his mother, “You didn’t ask me if I wanted to move here…” that says a lot. The result was a bunch of latch-key kids with parents who had no idea what was going on in their kids’ lives and weren’t around to do anything about it. Women’s lib had kicked in the door to allow women to join the workforce. Looking for '80s fashion? How about Ali’s sweater vests and headbands, her Princess Leia Halloween costume, Daniel and Freddy's tee-shirts and, the most '80s item of all, Johnny's red Cobra Kai jacket.ĭaniel’s mother, Lucille, is an accurate indicator of ‘80s parenting. That's why Ali doesn’t even say thank you (although, let's all agree, she should have). In the '80s, this is how a gentleman behaved. The entire course of events in The Karate Kid is set into motion over a boombox, an item of intense value to ‘80s teens.Īli invites Daniel to the arcade: "I have this new game I want to show you!” Of course, where do they go? Golf n' Stuff! Putt-putt golf with themed courses were so, so '80s (see Overboard).ĭaniel pays for Ali’s school lunch.
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