Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum - Ralph Macchio

Episode Date: August 27, 2019

Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid, Cobra Kai, The Deuce) discusses the resurgence of The Karate Kid universe with the hit Cobra Kai series and how he was cautious to do another project in that franchise with the chance of it tainting its iconic legacy. Ralph also opens up on his ups and downs throughout his career from stories on not chasing fame in favor of building memories with his family to frequent bouts with anxiety in different facets of his work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ontario, the wait is over. The gold standard of online casinos has arrived. Golden Nugget Online Casino is live. Bringing Vegas-style excitement and a world-class gaming experience right to your fingertips. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, signing up is fast and simple. And in just a few clicks, you can have access to our exclusive library of the best slots and top-tier table games. Make the most of your downtime with unbeatable promotions and jackpots that can turn any mundane moment into a golden, opportunity at Golden Nugget Online Casino. Take a spin on the slots, challenge yourself at the

tables, or join a live dealer game to feel the thrill of real-time action, all from the comfort of your own devices. Why settle for less when you can go for the gold at Golden Nugget Online Casino. Gambling problem call Connects Ontario 1866531-260. 19 and over, physically present in Ontario. Eligibility restrictions apply. See Golden Nuggett Casino.com for details. Please play responsibly. Reading, playing, learning. Stellist lenses do more than just correct your child's vision. They slow down the progression of myopia. So your child can continue to discover all the world has to offer through their own eyes.

Light the path to a brighter future with stellus lenses for myopia control. Learn more at SLOR.com. And ask your family eye care professional for SLOR Stellas lenses at your child's next visit. you're listening to inside of you with michael rosenbaum it's fun when you have an idol in your house i've said this before because i've had a lot of cool cool people that i look up to i have pictures of and autographs are you talking about me yes tyler oh wow but dude ralph machio incredible karate kid outsiders my cousin vinny the new cobra kai series by the way he looks we talk about this in the pot i couldn't stop looking at him he's 57 years old he looks younger than me who was

Yeah, you guys talk about it a lot. I mean, it was just like, a big topic. You know, he got deep. I think he's the kind of guy who's private, and he wasn't expecting to talk about some private things, but he really, he opened up as much as he could, and he opened up in a way that I think was beneficial to not only me, but I think the audience. And he was very humble when he talked about, you know, we all go, and, you know, whether you have a nine to five job or whatever, you have an acting job, we all, you get in a little

hole. How do you dig your way out? And, you know, this is a guy who had super success. And then it was interesting hearing him talk about. about, hey, man, now I wasn't getting cast and things. Now you start to think too much. And this is a really fun podcast. So why don't we get inside of Ralph Machia?

It's my point of you. You're listening to Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum was not recorded in front of a live studio audience. I like yeah you need Red Bull so that scares me right there well you know what I'm just sipping it just sipping yeah do you not drink Red Bull they're not a sponsor I'm just well they give me free stuff not yet not yet not yet once in a while I need a little bit a little bit something

I usually go to double espresso but not today I got some rest last night I flew in last night and all good we've been going since this morning though but you are I have one meeting at 430 but we are rocking I am here Totally present. You've been doing this a long time, dude. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you get, because you're a family guy. I am.

You've been married to the same woman for a long time. 32 years. Your mom introduced you to the woman. Is that correct? Well, at least you do some research. No. But pretty close. Pretty close.

I met my wife at a sweet 16 party and my cousins. No, it was for my cousin and it was my grandmother's house in the basement. like the basement parties like tootsie rolls and seven up punch and chips what year was this this is in 77 how old you are I'm born you look you look younger than me and I'm not Tyler fuck off Tyler Tyler's Tyler agreed like without even batting and I he was just like totally Tyler's filling in for Rob who's here Tyler sometimes fills in when Rob's gone but uh yeah Tyler you looked at him immediately and you're like, God, you look so young. Yeah, I was born in 1994.

Okay. So that was, yeah. Like, my career, my career had ended and I was restarting it at that point. Your career has never ended. Not really. But you know what's funny is? Well, first of all, Cobra Kai, the resurgence of like this is the, did you think it was going to be this big?

Uh, not this big. No, it exceeded expectations. I mean, I knew the, I knew the base was out there. I knew if you could deliver, uh, something, you know, they would come to the party to peek in. But they've come in the door, they've blown the door off the place, and everybody's hanging out. Well, it's nostalgic. And when you're watching it, what I like is I think they're spending most of the money on the music. Yeah, I could attest to that. I could promise.

Right, because they really make you feel like it's like White Snake. They do a great job with it. The two composers, you know, it's a great story. Those guys, they saw, they read the announcement that the show was being made and they put a bunch of tunes together and sent it to the writers, like that day, saying, we have to score this show. Now, see, you seem like a guy that it takes a lot for you to do something because you have to really want to do it. Yeah. Like you need some coercion. You need some. It's like me in a sense. I've gotten to the point in my life. And, you know, your family is important.

This is important. You want to make a little money when you can. But like the most important thing is you want to do. You have to do something that you're really passionate. Right. Right. Yeah. And listen, I was certainly less to the party with Cobra Kai.

Right. And not because it wasn't worthy. It just, I had said no so many times over the past 30-something years with everybody's pitch, you know. You've heard everything. Everything. My favorite's always like, how about if Rocky Balboa has a kid and LaRousseau has a kid and then the two kids get, you know, and that's my favorite. Oh, my God. And that was a real pitch?

It was a pitch to John Avelson and myself, who directed John Avaldson directed both Rocky. Right, right. Of course. But, yeah, you know, leaving, tainting. the legacy is not something I wanted to do and if it wasn't done right and it's still I was still nervous jumping in I seem really intelligent

now that of course this was the one that made the most sense and I knew to wait for this one I mean I did but at that point you still don't know and the guys John Josh and Hayden who created the Cobra Kai series really had a vision and still do and they

have a long term plan and I don't question it. I mean, I question stuff with my character all the time. Do you really? Yeah, we collaborate and battle certain things out. Do you say, hey, Daniel wouldn't do this? A bunch, yeah, but they get the tiebreaker and they've earned it. Anytime.

Usually, we're all in agreement. But at those times, you feel that it is becoming fan service and maybe going away potentially of the truth of what might be the character, I'll always bring that up and we'll either negotiate it out or find. Sometimes they say, yeah, you're right, or most

often they say, but this is where we're going in the long term so we will if that drops that the bottom drops out here that only gives us a place to go there yeah and i i trust that because they've earned it if you've seen the show they've earned it oh yeah yeah i you know everybody talks about that show i mean it's like there's a big billboard in sunset boulevard is on the strip yeah yeah it's crazy because you're doing a character it's like to me like people are like hey would you ever play lex luther again right right if it was right if it was right it's the same kind of thing it needs and he's a fresh angle this angle is obviously uh you know going through the eyes of Johnny Lawrence,

exploring the concept of what happens to that bully who's this unredeemable kind of character. What does he become in his 50s or his middle age? And where is that his life? And what was the perspective for him? And one of my favorite scenes in season one, Zapp, and Billy does with Sholo, who plays Miguel, is explaining Ali Mills and what Laruso did.

And you looked at it from his perspective. And I was like, okay, he came and took my girl, and acted like, you know, sprayed me with water when I was rolling in the dealership. He was a guy, you know, he's like, yeah, he throws it out. I mean, that was, that was sort of in the writing. And I went with it because it serviced a down and out guy coming up against a guy. See, they sort of flipped. One is rich and successful. And the other one's down and out in Recita.

You know, Laruso was down and out in Recita. And now it's flipped. And, but, you know, that sort of has balanced itself out through season two. and now going forward with season three will it'll be less of what it's about you know you had to you had to renegotiate it by now um listen i'm going to send you in tomorrow we should we should because at first they're like look we have no money this is always what they say to you in the shows we have no money yeah but when the show's a hit yeah we're going to give you money right right and then the shows a hit and you're like we have other things that are failing though yeah other things are failing we need your help we need and

we have an agreement with you um but uh yeah i think listen the go old right now is to continue the level of quality of the show, this great young cast we have, which is delivering on all cylinders, which helps with the longevity of it. You know, these two old guys, you know, not burying the hatchet, is cool and fun, and we love seeing them at each other's throats, but we also like seeing Daniel and Johnny kind of, after a few drinks getting along, you know, they're kind of fun. They're like an odd couple. If they can only see past their own shit, they might be not far from the same guy.

And that's kind of fun to explore. But, you know, keeping everything going, the story's being organic, and then all that other stuff will play out. But sure, I'll send you in tomorrow, radio sheet. Sweet. You're the other guy I want on my team. You know, by the way, you're sitting right under a Pat La Fontaine. Pat La Fontaine.

I think I met him years back, but I didn't. He wasn't one of the islanders I got to know really well. Back in the day, it was like Trotier, Billy Smith, Mike Bossie, Dennis Podvin, and some of the guys now. Well, you know I'm a Ranger fan. Yeah, listen, it's all good. They're, they're, you know, right now, the Rangers and their rebuilding phase, I mean, that organization, they have, it's still my favorite rivalry in sports being a New York hockey guy because it's the only team I've rooted against, meaning the Rangers, I got, you know,

my whole childhood, I got to scream 1940 and then that end in 1994. And now my team is at least putting out some good, you know, they had a good season. and we got a great coach. Yeah, would you sweep the penguins? Swept the penguins, and I got swept by Carolina, but we swept the penguins. I love that. You know, that was great.

By the way, and by the way, you know, Ralph is sitting here amidst a shrine of Ranger. A shrine of Rangers jersey, jerseys, I'm a big hockey fan. So I'm going to go back with you. I want to go back to the beginning in a way because, you know, I always find it interesting how people along the way they face adversity, you know, whether it's their family or they're like,

whatever they, they, I mean, you started at a young age acting. I couldn't even imagine starting at that age and having the breaks that I had because I can barely deal with it now. Right, right. When did you start? When did you start? I did my first playing high school at 17 and then I did college

and I went to New York and did like off Broadway like the way the hell off. Right, but you started working professionally at what age? I mean, I think I made my first buck when I was 23. Okay. Well, I made you know, Liz, I guess my first job I was 17 turned 18, but I just looked like I was

12 right so you have a little machio curve okay that's you think i was like it's a machio curve you got to add five to six years uh now it's getting tougher though now you know you look young i do know i look young it's my parents my parents fault you know they did it now it's good genes and and quasi healthy lifestyle quasi um i enjoy my i enjoy my adult i enjoy my adult beverage when i when i what's your beverage of choice um i'm a big i'm a big wine fan i like wine but i'll drink uh i'll drink uh i'll drink you know, vodka. Do you get tipsy? I do get tipsy at times, but never out of control. I'll get sick before I get out of control. So I'm like a lightweight. That's a damn shame. Yeah, I've never, I've never like, how did I get here? I'm always like, here is hugging the porcelain

steering wheel before I get there. So, um, um, yeah, like I'll enjoy a martini here and there and a, and, uh, I love wine. I love going to Napa and just tasting great wine. Well, your parents, were they cool? They are cool. They are cool. They still are. You got along with them. They were role models. They loved you. They supported you. Yes. Yes. Yes. For sure. I mean, we all have, you know, you know, elements of imperfections. But for the most part, I got real lucky getting them. Yeah, for sure. And that's amazing how important that is. Isn't I talk about that all the time? I try to do the same thing with my kids. You know, it's tough. It's the toughest job in the world. You know, you're constantly failing. But it's if, you know, my kids know where home is.

And I always knew where home was, and I think for whatever the reason that has worked, you know, and I think I've, my wife and I have handed that down, we're often the first call, you know, or close to it, maybe not the first call. How old are your kids? 27, my daughter's 27, my son is 23, and I'm only 32. I don't know how you did that. It's unbelievable. Wow, that's amazing. Now, you know, we met at these, the cons. Right.

We do the cons. A lot of the people that I meet. it's amazing because you see you at these things and you're always so humble and you're nice and you talk to your fans and but you're a bit of an introvert right um i wouldn't say that i would say i've kept one foot in and one foot out of it you know so i don't i don't really recoil into and but for my family i keep that stuff you know that's that's my private life and uh for the most part and um you know family politics all that stuff i just don't share that i'll share I'm, like, you know, proud of my kids and I've been married, you know, I'll do those talk shows that, like I did the talk today. So they give them what they want. Give them what they want. It's like, oh, it's Ralph Macho. Let's talk about how happy. Yeah, right, exactly. But you're not, you can't be all happy. No, no, it's not. There's a dark side. There's a dark side. And certainly during some of the lean years, it got darker, you know, it got, you get to a place where, I mean, I've always balanced things fairly well. And I, you know, I give that props to my parents.

I'm grounded in that way. And I think I've lost opportunities by not being in it and in the business all the time. And there were in those quieter years I went, you know, I was back in New York and I would try to jump behind the camera, do some writing when the acting stuff wasn't happening. And I kept myself creatively involved, whether it was shooting directly short films and things like that. But, you know, if you're reading the paper, if you're seeing the successes around, you get, you can. could go down that rabbit hole of you know it's like all the billboards in this town look a lot bigger when other people's posters are on them you know it's like i swear when mine it was smaller they made it bigger when this guy's movies up there oh when the guard at the gate used to wave you through

now is frisking you checking your license and not believing it i've always had the frisking yeah the frisking it's always good but it's that stuff is you know you just you have to call that what it is you know, it's not important in the scheme of life, but there's, there have been the challenges of breaking through. And now with all this resurgence being on, you know, a cobra Kai obviously is a big success. I'm on the show The Deuce on HBO right now with James Franco, Maggie Gillenhall, David Simon's show, we're finishing up season three, which is the final season. And it's so fun to play this corrupt cop, but yet I'm on this, you know, a cobra Kai as the Daniel Elaruso 35 years later.

You got the best of both worlds. It's kind of, it's, who knew? And I'm arguably busier than I've been. I don't think I was this. My schedule was as full as this since, you know, 35 years ago. And so, who knew? But it's remaining family. My wife is a great Granly fan.

My kids, it's all about, you know, that's the stuff that is comes first for me. It comes first for me. I've kept one foot in, one foot out. And you lose opportunities. that way. But at the end of the day, for me, having those years where I wasn't employed all the time and really fighting for roles and sort of being like, yeah, but it's yesterday's news when I went through that section of time, that's when my kids were young and I was at every school assembly, every little league game. So to trade that in and say, wow, I wish I

hit bigger in the late 90s. Then you would have missed all that. Then I would have missed that. So I've actually, by design, gotten lucky. Yeah, how do you like, because I go through it now. I mean, go through like on the outside you're like you know I hate the term of like whatever happened where's Michael Rosenbaum right right why isn't that guy working I like that guy people always wondering what you're doing and I hate that it's like you know I always think you know I did this right is not enough what's enough right right and did you get to a certain point because you're so likable and you're so good like I'll never forget your performance in the outsiders I love that movie that's one of the best performances ever it's like to me it's what the top like

50 performances. I mean, just a raw performance, like a real guy. Somehow you managed to, you weren't acting. It felt like, it felt real and pure and so tragic. And like, you look at that and then you look at karate kid in the commercial success and my cousin Vinnie and it goes on and on. And then you're like, why wouldn't you stop working? What, what is, what is it with Hollywood? What is it? Because it's not you or do you think it was, uh, Hollywood's fault or maybe your, did you think it was, did you blame yourself? You're like, I should have done this? I should have done. Are you always in your head? Sometimes. Certainly, you spend time there. You know, you have to, as I get younger and

wiser, I sort of get a grip on that. But there was that, that time. I mean, listen, I always, the fact I always looked young from my age, then I sort of fell out of the adolescent roles and I wasn't quite, you know, you know, super leading man material, you know, so that was a tough jump and it's you know it's still specific to me yeah like there was a role in a film called running on empty uh directed by sydney lemit and uh river phoenix played the play the part and was nominated for an oscar and that was one that i had conversation with sydney lemit and almost happened but then there was an option thing with karate kid part two and the window and they were going to shoot it so i got really bitter about not having that opportunity right not having that role

that might have made the difference with the tight cast and all that stuff. On the flip side of that, River Phoenix was nominated for an Oscar because he was the right guy in the right part. Just like, you know, I met with Zemeckis and Spielberg on Back to the Future. And at the end of the day, there's press out there that I passed on Back to the Future, which is not true. It was just, it never materialized. Michael J. Fox got that role because Michael J. Fox was the right guy for the part. I was the right guy for Daniel Rousseau, Matthew Roder, because the right guy for Ferris Bueller.

You know, all those, we were all in the pool at that time. So that's how I look at it with the running on empty. It was the right guy got the part. And so that's, you know, it's about moving forward and not like, God, if I only had that one. That's mature. And this bastard. That's healthy.

You know, that's, we don't always think like that, though. Of course not. It's much easier to, I mean, I'm better than that guy. Yeah, right. I mean, come on. That would have been my Oscar nomination. nomination, maybe not. Maybe it was Oscar nominated because the right guy got the part

because you can't, you got to put it in the rearview mirror. It's hard. I mean, even when I'm working on Cobra Kai and this character, Daniel Russo, which is so much part of the legacy of, you know, of who I am, and it's, you know, it's going to be on the gravestone, whether I like it or not. It's a pretty damn good. You know, it's a good one.

Yeah. But there are scenes in, even Cobra Kai that I'm doing that aren't the way I would have designed them. And I still struggle with, okay, the service is the show and the cobra kai of it all and why this isn't the karate kit even though it's an extension of and i have to let go of certain things for the big picture yeah you know it's that same kind of kind of thing are you hard on yourself uh times yeah do you do you do you able to when they say cut print let's move on are you

able to move on or you just dwell on things i uh it matters what the scene is and how big the scene is and in my mind you know i like to feel i'm better at that drive home when it's stopping in front of the mirror and then doing what you think you did and realize you didn't do that. And that, I'll still do that on occasion. But at the end of the day, when I see the scene,

I forget all about that shit and it works in the show. I did a really small part in Guardians of the Galaxy. And Stallone, we filmed the scene and he has a scene where he's like, Ravengers is talking about this, this whole thing. He's like, ravages don't do this, blah, blah, blah.

He's talking to do it the whole thing. You know, like, what's the line? And we got it. And James, who's like one of my best friends, he's like, you know, Director Gargian. Yeah, yeah. Stallone called him that night and said, hey, James, how you doing, Sly? He's like, yeah, how are you doing? Yeah, I know who it is.

I know the voice. And he's like, yo, look, I think I could have done better today. He's like, what? He's like, I'd like to do it again. If we could do it again, like if you could just, I'd like to do it again. And he goes, yeah, I'll move some things around. We'll do it first thing in the morning. Yeah, I think I could do it by them.

And I was like, you know, so that was one of the things. even sly who's one of my heroes who was glorious to work with at that level Oscars and all these right right he still thinks I could do better yeah for sure so for sure you know but he has the ability to get them to do it again yeah hey this is like listen dude hey director this is michael who Rosenbaum what I was on the set don't recognize the voice raspy you know I did this scene today and I was like uh how'd you get my number dude that's pretty much the truth of it all it's seen oh man but I mean you've been married so you've been married since you're how old

Uh, 25. And now you're 45, right? Yeah, right. I mean, people, they can look it up. How old are you? 57. I mean, it's fucked. It's weird.

It's weird. It's weird. Do you use what kind of... Your guy right now is freaking out. Well, we could be our son. If we were a gay couple, he's our grandson. He's our gay son. Or our son.

You wouldn't be gay. I'm just saying, Tyler's got... He's a bigger smart ass than all of us. That's right. What was I going to say? So, 57 years old. It's stupid. But true.

What moisturizer do you use? I wish I could blame it on that. Yeah, I know. I've been pushing face cream. I can't get one face cream. Do you use a moisturizer? Do you moisturize in a night? I mean, it's just so soft and supple.

No, it's also, I've been doing the camera tour, so it's a little pampered today. So I'm a little, you know, the dark circles. We've been doing a lot of camera stuff today, so. Do you love 80s music? Yeah, yeah, some of it. Some of it, not all of it. favorite 80s band? Oh, God.

It's weird because I don't, I don't have, you know, this is probably, ACDC would be considered, what, a 70s band? 70s 80s. Yeah, so I would say ACDC, if it goes in there. I was less the white snake and all that stuff. Those guys, ACDC was the upper echelon of that rock, you know, metal. You liked the hard, a little hard. Yeah, I think, you know, in the 80s, I mean, honestly, so much.

of all the music that was in the breakfast club or the, you know, the karate kid and all that stuff. Don't you forget about me. Yeah, right, exactly. Hey, hey, hey, hey. They had another song too. Remember their other song? That's Simple Minds, Alive and Kickin. No, you got me.

Ah, crap. Yeah. Inside of You is brought to you by Quince. I love Quince, Ryan. I've told you this before. I got this awesome $60 cashmere sweater. I wear religious. you can get all sorts of amazing, amazing clothing for such reasonable prices.

Look, cooler temps are rolling in. And as always, Quince is where I'm turning for fall staples that actually last. From cashmere to denim to boots, the quality holds up and the price still blows me away. Quince has the kind of fall staples you'll wear nonstop, like Super Soft, 100% Mongolian cashmere sweaters starting at just 60 bucks. Yeah, I'm going to get you one of those, I think. I like to see you in a cashmere. Maybe a different color, so we don't look like twins. Their denim is durable and it fits right. And their real leather jackets bring that clean, classic edge without the elevated price tag. And what makes Quince different, they partner directly with ethical factories and skip the middlemen. So you get top

tier fabrics and craftsmanship at half the price of similar brands. These guys are for real. They have so much great stuff there that you just have to go to Quince. Q-U-I-N-C-E. I'm telling you, you're going to love this place. Keep it classic and cool this fall with long-lasting staples from Quince. Go to quince.com slash inside of you for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com slash inside of you. Free shipping and 365-day returns.

Quince.com slash inside-of-you. inside of you is brought to you by rocket money i'm going to speak to you about something that's going to help you save money period it's rocket money it's a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions monitors your spending and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings this is just a wonderful app there's a lot of apps out there that really you know you have to do this and pay for and that but with rocket money it's they're saving you money you're getting this app to save money. I don't know how many times that I've had these unwanted subscriptions that I thought I

canceled or I forgot to, you know, the free trial ran at Ryan. I know you did it. That's why you got rocket money. I did, yeah. And I also talked to a financial advisor recently and I said, I had rocket money and they said, that's good. This will help you keep track of your budget. See?

It's only, we're only here to help folks. We're only trying to give you, you know, things that will help you. So Rocket Money really does that. Rocket money shows you all your expenses in one place, including subscriptions you forgot about. If you see a subscription you no longer want, Rocket Money will help cancel it. Rocket Money will even try to negotiate lower bills for you. The app automatically scans your bills to find opportunities to save and then goes to work to get you better deals. They'll even talk to the customer service, so you don't have to.

Yeah, because I don't want to. Press 1 now. If you want, get alerts if your bills increase in price, if there's unusual activity in your accounts, if you're close to going over budget, and even when you're doing a good job, Rocket Money's 5 million members have saved a total of $500 million in canceled subscriptions.

With members saving up to $740 a year when they use all of the app's premium features, cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Download the Rocket Money app and enter my show name inside of you with Michael Rosenbaum in the survey so they know I sent you.

you don't wait download the rocket money app today and tell them you heard about them from my show inside of you with michael rosenbaum rocket money i mean was your childhood great in terms of like when you started getting movies were you really enjoying being on set were you enjoying the people you're working with did why did you feel like a star like oh my god my life's changed completely i mean there was a little bit of the onset of like the teen magazine stuff teen bee tiger bee tiger but you know them you know them you know I never was in them. I just watched, I read them.

Right. I mean, I have, my mom gave me, like, the, a crate full of, like, me, Matt Dillon, Leif Garrett. And I mean, that's all the outside. Does she have a New York accent? She's like, oh, my God, Ralph, look at you. Yeah, look at, look at you. You're a star, you're hot. No, she's not like that.

She has the New York accent, but she's not like, well, it's like, you put a little Rosenbaum spin on there. But my mom does have the New York, and my wife has it as well. She, you're going, you're going now? I was like, you know, you got to get it. We got to get away for, you know, and clean that up a little bit. You still make fun of it? We joke all the time.

I'm going now. I'm going long. No, it's not that bad. I'm going now. I'm going long. No, I'm overdoing it a little bit. But those magazines, that's when you kind of go away. Yeah, that was when that was the first like, okay, this is, you know, because it was popular with the kids.

But I think getting the outsiders, getting that, reading that book when I was 12 and getting the part in that movie, that was the end. That's when I was like, this is. the greatest ever. And I love that I worked so hard. I wanted it to be great and pay respect to the book. But I'm working for Coppola and with all these guys. He was great to work with he was great. Was he intense? He was, he gave me tons of stuff. I really wish we had the time now when we're shooting to do the theater exercises and things and stuff that he would do. He would do improv exercises and stuff even before we shot scenes. Isn't that something? They don't do that anymore. Yeah, it's called money. It's called. It's called

I don't have time for that. But he really worked with you. So, I mean, you're looking around you and you're like, Tom Cruise, who's that? See Thomas Hell, who's that? Right, right. All these people, who's that? Who played Cherry? Diane Lane.

Diane Lane. I mean, every actor in that movie was, nobody was a superstar yet. Nobody was a star yet. No, Leif Garrett was probably the most famous, and Matt Dillon had a couple of movies. And Cruz just had taps. We're doing his vagina. Yeah. Did you keep in touch with those guys after?

I do. I see them now on occasion. I mean, I did Rob Loz roast a couple years ago, which was kind of fun to go out. right right and and rip him a new one and i got my you know you do those roasts you're getting ripped too and so how do you feel about criticism like do you get when people fuck with you do you do you get kind of like you you laugh it off but you don't like it if there are times you laugh it off and don't like it there's other times you like that's a great it's hilarious and i'm i loved it self-deprecating thing like my the wax on fuck off video for funny or die

was all was all about self-deprecate so i i enjoy that that part of it but i see matt Dylan, I haven't seen him in about two years, but I would see him in New York all the time. C. Thomas Howell, Emilio, occasionally. What's the song at the end of the outsiders? Stay gold. Stevie Wonder. Written by, kind of music, by Carmine Coppola. Stay gold.

You remember the words to it? Some of it. What was the first words? Seas upon that moment long ago. Very good. And with the bass going, we got, you know, a couple of days. the studio we'll come back i think we can do it stevie one girl we're bound to make a better album that's i don't think that's going to doubt doubtful but it was but you you sing you dance uh yes i carry a tune

slightly and i can uh dance a little bit did dancing with the stars didn't totally so you went to the finals almost semi finals so did you were you hard on yourself when you lost that this brutal the whole thing is but no the thing is brutal just brutal on your body yeah and then you just see you have this separation and you because you're in it for three months from every waking moment and you can't you're either in the studio you're doing press you're doing rehearsals you're doing camera blocking you're doing more press you're going through the night did you get anxiety from it it's tough it's tough you freaking out some days like I can't do this uh no that didn't happen that happened before uh probably the day after I said okay I'll finally do it after they asked me

four times um I enjoyed the 90 seconds where nobody spoke that's when you get to do the dance That was my favorite part. And some of the rehearsals were cool. Getting criticized, standing on the line. What did they say? What was the worst criticism that you read? You go, those pieces of shit. Yeah, right.

No, there was a few. What did they say? What was the one thing, you remember? The thing, the one thing is when they would say, you know, you got to up your game now. Just because you did well last week doesn't mean, you know, and I was doing stuff that was more advanced than some of the others that were being cuddled at the moment. Because it is still a show. It's still a produced entity. and you have to drive the story you're on somebody else's train but you know that going in it's just when you're in week seven and you're sleeping hardly at all because there's so much and you're not they don't give you a lot of money for these things not relatively it matters who you're talking to but yes you don't I've heard like $10,000 $25,000 for the whole season that's not true that's not true right no it's not true right no no it's not it's not true right no no no but it's not it's better than that much better than it's not you're not you're not getting rich off it no right no no no but it

it was for me it was the right thing at the right time i think i represented myself well i think no one felt that i overstayed my welcome if anything they thought i should have gone wrong uh no it just i i it um it's how you represent yourself and you just have to it's tough as it gets later to not say okay i know what's going on i feel the production meetings i know the script but yet it's all happening real you wanted to win uh we But you go that deep into it if you're going to do it. Yeah. You can't go to the conference finals and hockey now.

That's right. It hurts. That's right. But at this point, everyone comes up to me with a big fat embrace, kick ass. It was awesome. And it happened at the right time. Did you like everybody? Everybody?

No. Oh, come on. Ralph, you don't talk about anybody badly, but you got to tell me one person you can get along with. I would say, as far as that. The contestants were all cool as far as the other celebs because everybody was, you're all in the same pool. Sometimes, you know, the judges thing and sometimes the producers behind it, they would talk to you like, you didn't know that this is still a show. Like, you know what I mean?

That this is everyone, everyone's playing a part in the game. And that would be fresh. I'd rather them say, listen, this is the way it's written. This is your week to crash. we're going to bring you back next week. Right now this week, it's for Kirstie and Heinz Ward, and then we're going to bring in a second. I'd rather hear that than, hey, sorry, that's just the way it worked out, you know.

But that being said, the show does not, and there's enough on dancing with the stars, I'm finishing this up. The show does not look to be train wrecked TV. The show really looks to lift up a great story. And in that respect, I love it for that, and I gained in a positive way from it. So that's one. What makes you lose your cool in terms of life, in general? Work, life.

What is it that you look back and you go, I remember I lost my cool because that there's something that we all have pet peeves. We all have things that when somebody treats me like a child or condescends or yells. Right, right, right. Talks me to a certain way. That's one. That's the one. And I even talk about that in the industry.

When you're treated like the talent that hasn't been behind the camera or understands how it works. I'd rather be told a harsh reality than pamper through to make sure that. The talent doesn't know that because that drives me nuts. And also, some of it becomes ego where I feel, you know, even with the Cobra I show, because I know coming on to it that if I didn't jump on board, it might not be. Right. So I have to be careful that I don't use that when I'm trying to make a point because I have not carried the ball completely. I'm just part of the puzzle.

and that I need to Always because your ego gets You know Of course the ego always gets in the way Yeah Ego gets in the way You play this character You know you were

Face of that franchise for Right And so in this What's so cool about this Is it still It keeps all that elevated But finds another angle And makes it fresh

Yeah And that's what these guys Are doing so brilliantly I had a A wardrobe stylist I guess they thought That I was an extra

Or like Maybe a three lines and they went and then they go okay grab that put that on and do that and they were talking to me like that and I was just like oh okay and I just sucked it up for a minute and I put it on and I go um yeah and they're like yeah that that will work and I go um actually I was thinking about this she goes goes um no you're gonna wear that and I go okay stop this is my role this is the role that I'm playing that I was cast to play and I'm gonna have a choice in this matter and we're going to talk collaboratively right and i became very adult not yelling we're

going to we're going to do this together because this is what it's about right and we're not going to condescend we're not going to look at each other like and this is how it's going to happen right and we started and i go look this isn't my first rodeo i've done this before i've done you know and it was just like sometimes you just have to say hey like don't talk to me like this i'm not i you know what i mean it's the most collaborative art form there is you know a painter paints You know, and, you know, a musician writes their song, you know, the writer has that, that's when it's, you know, when the writer's, you know, looking at the blank page creating that world and that life, that is that. But once it becomes, you know, the costumes, the music, they all, all that stuff, you know, the shot, the angle, the performance, then the best that I've worked with are the ones that are the conductors and leave all those instruments to play and then, you know, hone that in. and feel part of that collaboration because

Steve Bureham, great cinematographer, shot The Outsiders Among, you know, War of the Roses, the Untoucherable, he's a great cinematographer, and he said to me, I gave him a script at one point that I was working on just for some notes and thoughts because I knew he would read it

and give some ideas. And one of his little things to me, he said, you know, just make sure you create when you figure your budget or whatever. Make sure you create that actor time as much of that actor time as you can so you have the ability to do all the other things around it because and surround yourself with people that understand that when you're managing the time per day to stretch out to figure ways to give yourself more actor time because at the end of

the day you're all making this movie for the first time yeah you've made 10 movies he's made 20 movies and and this this and she's done this and he's done that but everybody's making this movie or telling the story for the first time. So anyone who feels they have it figured out is probably not being honest and truthful. And I just love that from a guy who's, you know, it's really about opening it up for what's in the frame because that's all that matters. That's all we get to see. And then how to create that collaborative thing where we're all working together to tell this one story. Yeah, you need the person that's spearheading. Otherwise, you wind up with a rudderless ship and everybody's pushing and pulling.

but um you know it's not a dictatorship it is a collaborative form have you have you ever had uh any did you ever deal with depression any any anxiety attacks any like stuff where you go like because our show we talk about you know some of that stuff and people are like oh my god this really helps me and you know you look at people like um you know you look at big stars and like oh they have it made they have it perfectly they live a perfect life and we they always you know and i'm always talking i'm pretty vulnerable about this stuff because i deal with shit all the time and it's like do you did you ever have to deal with that not I wouldn't say any depression, anxiety sort of being nervous about something or that

working myself up and getting in my own way. Yeah. From an acting perspective from, you know, that time, say, post my cousin Vinnie to when I started writing and doing little directing, I was putting, you know, I had to, you know, I felt like I had to work to get it back, you know, whatever. And what it was, the things that's, when I look at the outsiders and Karate Kid for that matter, Some of the richest moments in those performances are the times I'm just letting it in. I'm not doing anything except being present and listening and reacting in a natural way because there was no pressure to do it.

So that, I sort of, you know, how I get myself out of that, and I still sometimes struggle with wanting everything to be great. It's a little bit of my control issues if I have anything. It's that. it's it's trying to just look at the perspective where this really fits in knowing to um to sort of relax myself through how do you relax yourself i try music man i love classical me it's all textbook stuff i love i'll listen i'll put on noise canceling headphones and the classical of all the music yeah all that's whatever man just takes me it's cinematic i close my eyes and i'm you know whatever it is i could i could tell the story through whatever

the music is and then that that is a little thing that I do um you know even if I need to if I'm lack of sleep needs to take a nap or whatever and have a half hour I zone out into that shut out the world and and that and that stuff and straight vodka no I'm joking I just had to say that I saw you saying give me something else no I'm joking I'm joking do you ever like but do you have like in terms of self-doubt like you know you're coming off my cousin Vinnie and then you did some things and you felt like there was this lull there was this bit of like this then did you almost think like can i still do this yeah of course you said i actually would why i actually went back there's a scene at the end of the outsiders where i'm talking pony boy opens up the uh the

the book of my letter the letter falls out and he reads the letter i wrote to him in the hospital and i did that scene coppola kept trying to strip me down he says just say it stop don't act it don't act it and we we did a bunch of takes and it's very straightforward honest pure and kind of natural, and I credit him because I was reading it, I was reading it, performing it, and he kept stripping that out. And sometimes I look at that scene, and I'll go back to that, that it's the most honest and pure delivery that isn't trying to do anything. And I try still to this day, even on Cobra Kai and the deuce, I'll say, just stop thinking about just, just deliver it as pure it honestly as you can, you know, and then also be in the character. And the doose, he's a crooked

vice cop that'll take money from the lowest common denominator. And in Coburkeye, obviously, he's carrying the weight of Daniela Rousseau. But sometimes I'll go back to those moments where I wasn't thinking about it. I wasn't trying to do anything. But you lose it from the business because you now all of a sudden you go down the list of who they want who they want. If you try to get back on that, it's just unhealthy, but it's impossible not to want to do that because you want to tell stories.

You want to create. you want to do, and you made a living at it, so you want to figure out a way to make a living at it again. Fortunately, for me, I'm super blessed with being able to somehow have done it for this long, even through highs and lows. And I'm sure in five years from now, you know, I'm hoping not, but I'm, you know, that might be, you know, might not be as sweet as it is right now. That's what I'm going to renegotiate.

That's right. That's why I need you to go in. So I could kick back for a couple of years and I have to worry about it. Well, look, you're one of the best guys in the business. And, you know, there are a few that, like, you know, when you meet them, they just feel genuine. Like a genuine. I'm like, this guy's just genuine. And I envy you because you're one of those guys I meet.

And, you know, I could be totally wrong because you just said you go through things. We're all human beings. But you meet them and you're like, he's got a shit together. He's been married to the same woman for a long time. He has two kids. He balances his life. He knows what he wants. But he deals with those anxieties and those whatever and in a way that's healthy.

Yeah. Whether it's music or reflecting back and saying, hey, I remember how pure. I was in this moment, and if I can go back to this moment, I could do this. It's inside of me still to be as good as I ever was. And I just got to have faith in myself. And I have to, you know, stop letting fear get in the way. Stop letting me get in the way. Fear does get in the way. It's, you know, always, you know, it's, it is one of those things we all struggle with. And, or at least I have. But yeah, all those things you said, listen, I do enrich, when I look at it, you know, I'm pretty lucky because it's not all me being great at it.

It's my DNA. It's the upbringing I've had. It's my mindset. Some of it might have to do with the, you know, people say, why didn't you ever go in that dark place? You're around in the 80s. Everyone's doing cocaine or, you know, drunk out on the street or messed up. And I just, part of it is my own sensibilities and who I am and my groundedness.

And part of it, I was just too afraid I would fall out of control. So I like the control fact. that I have in me probably actually might have helped sidestep some of those things coupled with just, you know, the groundedness of my upbringing. Do you think there's some good things to being a little out of control? Do you think that sometimes you like go, man, I wish I could, I just wish I could let goes and I'm just. I think there are times in my acting where I envy those guys that just go to a place of complete, you know, take those types of risks. And it's not so easy.

for me and for whatever if that's something that that I work toward and I have to take off to pull a net out and and jump in close my I mean listen jumping in the kovakai seemed like okay you jumped into the show was I mean it was based on a hit movie how much of a risk but I had this whole weight of this character that has become the people the fans hero of their childhood and what if it sucked what if I did what if I didn't do justice to the character it's a lot of pressure on yourself a lot of pressure and i just i jumped in fortunately my net in the parachute are these three great writers and then zapka delivering on his half of it and uh you guys get along we do get along we are so different we rib each other we have great respect for each other you know each other but we annoy each other just enough to keep it healthy just enough to keep it healthy it's great like you're come on zapka just do that yeah come on fucking ralph we do it all the time we undercut each other have you ever said have you ever said you're acting like a dick No, not yet, not yet, not yet.

But it's all right. But you do the show, because, you know, I have friends. You do a movie, you do a show, whatever it is, and then that's it. Yeah. And then you might, hey, email, how you doing, man? Just checking in and you hope you're well. Kind of those things. You have your life.

You have your family. You don't have many friends probably in the industry that you're hanging out with all the time. Yeah, yeah. No, I, my life is out, the actors I hang out with, the actors I'm working with, or if I bump into you at a comic con, can we hang out. For the most part. If I see you at a convention, Rosenbaum, we'll hang out there. but outside of your podcast

you're never going to see me again not totally true you're so easy to talk to you're great at this and it's a pleasure to do it it's fun it's fun and shit there's so much stuff here I guess a kid in the candy store well you're welcome back any time to you dust this every Friday I mean who takes this shit down and cleans it

well nobody it's pretty dusty these are yeah you know people always make fun of me it's like you got all these things you got these toys but I was doing these conventions I was going to conventions before I was anybody I was going, like I go to these horror conventions and I'm like, oh, look, there's a Freddie Krueger doll. I kind of want that. I love that movie. It's great.

You don't have any toys at home. Do you have any Karate Kid memorabilia other than... The car and the headband and the trophy. The car's in the show now. We read it. It's the original car. How much is that car worth if you wanted to sell it? I don't know.

We just put a new engine in it and it's part of the show. I love having it's the one girl that never left Laruso. Did they rent it from you? Because it's your car. We made a deal. It'll be part of the renegotiate. It's in good, thanks to, It has to be. You have a dealership in the show.

That's right. Yeah. Well, it's all smoke of mirrors. But it's great to have it in the show. It's a good talking point. Okay. Tell everybody where we can find COBRA Kai. Cobra Kai is on YouTube premium right now, season one and two, ready to stream. First two episodes of season one are free and then you've got to go behind the paywall. But it's worth it. Which is only, you could go for like a couple of bucks, watch the season. There's also, I think, I don't have the hard information, but this fall, YouTube,

YouTube is making season one and season two available with commercials for free for a certain amount of time. But you can watch them right now. You just put in Cobra Chi on YouTube. Believe me, it'll send you there. And it's fun. It's fun. It is. It's nostalgic. It's fun. It's good. It's great. It's just, it makes you feel warm inside. No, it's good. It's good. And it's nice to see this embrace around the world. It's good stuff. Ralph Machia, thank you for allowing to be inside of you today. I know you had a heart out. You're doing all. Look at this. 3.30? Dead on, man. Football season is here.

Believe has the podcast to enhance your football experience. From the pros. One of the most interesting quarterback rooms to college. Michigan is set at eight and a half wins. fantasy. If you feel that way, why didn't you trade them? Become a better fan and listen to the football podcasts from Believe. Just search Believe. That's B-L-E-A-V podcast. Follow and listen on your favorite platform.