Hollywood has gone through several evolutions over the years, both in terms of technical capabilities, genre presentation, and the faces that defined its most celebrate deras. So, when casting began for a coming-of-age sports drama called Karate Kid, Clint Eastwood had a powerful enough name that his son getting the role might have been a foregone conclusion. Except it wasn’t. Ralph Macchio won the lead role of Daniel LaRusso – and Eastwood was ready to strike first, strike hard, and show no mercy in response.
Eastwood famously has several children, some of whom followed in his famous footsteps, like actor Scott Eastwood. His other son, Kyle, was among the many hopeful young actors hoping to be cast in Karate Kid, written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. Other potential Miyagi pupils included Robert Downey Jr. and Charlie Sheen. None of them got the role, but when Eastwood’s son was rejected, he took some remarkable measures to get back at the studio for the perceived slight.
Clint Eastwood pushed back against the studio when Ralph Macchio was chosen for ‘Karate Kid’ instead of his son Kyle
Released in 1984, The Karate Kid tells the story of New Jersey native Daniel LaRusso who faces extreme bullying when he and his mother move to Los Angeles until he finds physical and mental strength thanks to the teachings of Mr. Miyagi, played by the late, great Pat Morita. The first installment went on to spawn four more movies and a Netflix series called Cobra Kai, which follows the cast – now adults – along with their own kids after Daniel’s rival Johnny revives his old dubious dojo.
By that point, Eastwood was one of the most powerful names in Hollywood. So, after Kyle was passed over, Eastwood banned every kind of Coca-Cola product from all of his sets. Why? Columbia Pictures, the studio that produced Karate Kid, was owned by the soda’s same company. Sensei Kreese would be proud.
Still, the film earned $130.8 million worldwide and made household names of many of its cast members. Just what was it about Macchio that made him the best around?
Was Eastwood right about Macchio?
The Karate Kid boasts some enduring lessons on persistence, bravery, inner balance, and peace, and one of its most important driving forces lay with the chemistry between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi. Assembling the right cast was key. Faced with steep competition from Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage, Sean Penn, and more, Macchio managed to stand out thanks to his performance in 1983’s The Outsiders as Johnny Cade, a role he won in part from playing Jeremy Andretti in Eight is Enough.
His work speaks for itself, though Macchio would later admit he thought it helped that Sheen didn’t even look like an “Italian guy from Jersey.” But there was no denying the producers made the right choice, as Macchio’s performance went on to receive high praise from critics.