Ralph Macchio, Jackie Chan (Cast), and Joshua Jackson walked the “Karate Kid: Legends” red carpet Tuesday night in New York.
Macchio reprises his legendary role alongside Chan, who stars as a Kung Fu teacher.
Chan, who has done his share of martial arts movies, talked about how important the first Karate Kid was to him.
“At that time, funny thing, I was very depressed. Action movie not popular anymore. And I just tried to quit. Then I saw Karate Kid brings me back. And at the same time, the Rocky, Rocky 1, Rocky, Rocky 1 was a wow. Yes, I have to do the best I can, you know, brings me back all the confidence, I keep training, keep training. Until one day one director called me to do a movie, then a success becoming Jackie Chan. Thank you Rocky, thank you Karate Kid, first one,” said Chan.
Macchio talked about how important representation is to the Karate Kid franchise.
“I think it’s very important because it just shows, it’s just more diverse, it gives a more diverse story. You know, being in New York, a kid from Beijing in New York, New York is a city, a melting pot. That’s another element to it, you know? As long as the themes are true and it’s stayed, that connective tissue, that Karate Kid’s connective tissue, I enjoy paying that legacy forward. But I think is important. It started with Pat Morita. You know, in that first film dealing with the Japanese internment camps, World War II, these are things that make this movie more than just a popcorn franchise.”
Ben Wang starts as a young Kung Fu student who relocates to New York City with his mother to attend a new school. Not long after, he finds himself being challenged by a local Karate champion.
Wang spoke on the how universal Karate Kid truly is.
“What I love the most about this series is that this franchise of film, more than any other, I think it, like, there’s this idea that anybody can be the Karate Kid. And so, you know, me now being… Through the legacy of the franchise, the originals and the Jaden Smith, and then with Cobra Kai and now me here, I think this is just where it drives home that point, right?”
“Karate Kid: Legends” hits theaters on Friday.
Credit: African News
