'Karate Kid' star Ralph Macchio dismisses criticism that the 1984 film was 'too White'
Oct 23, 2022
Washington [US], October 23 : 'Karate Kid' star Ralph Macchio recently responded to the 1984 film's criticism that it was "too White" and didn't delve into the Japanese cultural aspects of the discipline enough by calling the coming-of-age story "ahead of its time."
According to Fox News, Macchio old Stellar Magazine, "People have said it's a very White cast, that it didn't dive into the Asian story. But I always say this: The film was ahead of its time because it was a popcorn movie that talked about Japanese internment camps during World War II."
Macchio, who is promoting his new memoir 'Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me', also stated that his late co-star Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita, who played his sensei in the film, had said that he received his Academy Award nomination for the film because of a scene in which it is revealed that he lost his wife and son in one of the camps, reported Fox News.
"Pat himself spent two years in the camps. So it had double meaning and some depth," Macchio explained. He said the Oscar-worthy scene was almost cut from the film for length but it was saved by fans.
"The studio's main concern was that with the movie running over two hours, they would lose a daily screening time, and essentially, money in the process. They all shut up once we screened it for them with an audience," he said.
As per Fox News, midway through the film, a stunning sequence depicts the normally sober Mr Miyagi inebriated and profoundly upset as he battles to deal with the memory of his wife and kid on his anniversary.
Macchio, who wasn't involved with the Will Smith remake of the film in 2008, currently stars in the show 'Cobra Kai' in which he plays Daniel as an adult.
