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40 years of Karate Kid: Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio share memories from set
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May 30, 2025
Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso) and Jackie Chan (Mr. Han) join Jamie on Heart Breakfast to reflect on the last four decades ahead of their new film Karate Kid: Legends — from the evolution of special effects and stunts, to bonding with Mr Miyagi, and training the talented Ben Wang. #JackieChan #KarateKid #RalphMacchio Subscribe for regular entertainment! http://bit.ly/1qyfc2T Watch videos in full + exclusives here: https://thisisheart.co/heartglobalplayer Honest Celebrity Interviews: https://thisisheart.co/honestinterviews Music Artists: https://thisisheart.co/3YVm8wN Film and TV Stars: https://thisisheart.co/filmandtv _ We're the UK's biggest commercial radio brand creating memorable moments with the most recognised names in entertainment!
View Video Transcript
0:00
When I watched him, he was a young guy. Now we are all..
0:04
Not as young. Not as young. Not as young. And I can tell you that Ralph Macchio from the first movie and Jackie Chan from the second movie are together
0:14
It's the combo we all wanted. They are back for Karate Kid Legends and they join us in the studio now
0:20
Guys, thank you so much for coming in. You're welcome. Thank you. Great to be here
0:24
It is lovely to see you both together. This is super exciting
0:29
Now, Ralph, how does this feel for you to get Jackie on board for this one
0:33
Well, it's like the next level of the next chapter of the ecosystem
0:39
in the grand universe of the Karate Kid franchise. It's almost the Karate Kid cinematic universe, if you will
0:47
Yeah, I mean, listen, Jackie's a legendary stunt performer, actor, personality. You'll see. I'll hand the microphone over pretty soon and he'll take over
0:57
but uh uh you know it's it's a joy at every turn this journey for me 41 years now through
1:06
the first uh set of films into the cobra kai series exploding on netflix and now
1:12
you know the natural evolution of a character a few years later after cobra kai and at a place where
1:19
jackie jackie chan mr han's character you know combines with daniel la russo to train this young
1:26
Li Fang, the next generation big screen karate kid, it's who knew? It's perfect. Who knew
1:33
What were you doing back then? What were your memories of that first film
1:38
I have a big memory. I remember when I was a stunt guy at that time
1:42
the action movie going down, nobody could see it. They could turn into C-drama
1:50
Then I was a give up, I don't want to train anymore. Why? I've been training
1:54
so many years suddenly run off the job then suddenly karate kid comes out
1:58
I'm watching then brings me confidence back yeah suddenly all those years later
2:05
the Will Smith will hire me to do a karate kid Mr. Han
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I'm not a kid anymore in that time I was a dream come true wow
2:16
I like the movie now I'm in the movie yeah but 14 years later
2:21
now we join together it's perfect When I watch him, he was a young guy, now we are all..
2:28
Not as young Not as young Not as young We can join together with oh that a dream come true for me And Ralph what are your kind of memories of going back to the original film
2:40
What were your memories of that time and of working on that film? Well, it was, you know, I didn't
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And people ask me, did you know that 40 years later you'd still be talking
2:50
and it would be a global phenomenon, that series of films and just that legacy of it all
2:58
I think the thing that I remember the most, first of all, the training, which was a lot easier back then than it is now
3:07
It just takes a little more stretching and injury prevention these days. But I remember the kind of soulful magic of Pat Morita and myself, those two characters, that boy and the human Yoda, if you will, that was the secret sauce to that original film
3:29
I mean, without that relationship, we're not talking about any of these movies
3:34
That was really, you know, cinematically when you think back to that or even the crane kick and this sort of that magic trick that was attainable for anyone to try
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It's relatable in a way. So what I remember from that time is working with Pat, creating those beautiful heartfelt father-son mentor-student moments and the kind of cinematic magic trick that was the ending of that movie
4:02
Yeah. And Jackie, how have the stunts moved on since then? Just the physicality, the kind of stuff you're doing
4:09
Has it changed a lot? Has it become more complicated? Changed a lot. A lot more easier
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Easier now? Yes. Why? Because we have an AI, we have a special vectoring screen, blue screen
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Yes, don't reveal the secrets. When I'm doing a stunt in the old days, we have no money, we have no budget
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we have to risk our life to do something. Then later on, when I get famous
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then I realize in Hollywood, there's so many special effects. I said, let's do it
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But I don't know English. I cannot read English. I don't know how to use the machine
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Then I hire the people to do it. And I hire the professional people to do it
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Then I realize the audience, they don't like Jackie Chan. They're doing this kind of thing
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They want me to do the real thing. And I'm backing the director
4:59
hire me to like a Spider Iron Man Please He wants to wear a mask I want to wear a mask They do these kinds of things You are now forgive me for saying this in your 70s It a time when many people might consider gardening
5:15
or putting their feet up. Painting. Maybe painting. It's a lot of painting
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You don't know. I look so strong, but inside, there's so many pain
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Really? Yes. I almost, there's so many bones. I'm lucky. Luckily, I still can stay here, standing here, talking to you
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Just so many pain in my body. Really? Yes. But are you still doing those stunts
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What can you do? That's my life. And also, I was so proud to tell the audience, this is me
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That's not a special effect. And that's important to you as an art
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Because if you were to go back kind of, you know, to the 70s and to Bruce
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and kind of what you guys were doing back then, physically that was crazy
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But so luckily, the old day, we don't have a special effect
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If they do, I know how to use, I won't be today sitting here
6:16
Ralph, what's it like working alongside this? Is he always telling, giving you tips during those fight scenes
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or how does that? Here's how I describe Jackie because I get asked that question all the time now
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He's like a kid in the candy store who makes the candy, right
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He's early every day. He leaves late. If you need help with the microphone
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or the lights, he'll hang the lights. He'll put the microphone. I'll give you one quick story
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We were doing a stunt, not us, a stunt guy had to do this big flip
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and slide under subway turnstile. Yeah. And his sneaker kept getting stuck on the plexiglass
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He couldn't. He was stuck. Look, he was about to twist his ankle if he kept doing it
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And Jackie immediately says, it's powder, get powder, get powder, talcum powder. And who's got it
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And he was running around trying to get some talcum powder. And that's what did the slide
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He put the talcum powder. He's on his hands and knees, spread it around. The guy, the stunt guy went right through
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No problem. Brilliant. It's just wisdom and enthusiasm. So that's Jackie. And that just sums it up
7:25
Yeah. Yeah, that's it. Oh, you remember that. But for me, just so easy
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And on the set, anything they cannot do, I just immediately think something to help
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Yeah because he been there Yeah He experienced He done it all yeah So we mentioned earlier Ralph the what are we calling it the karate kid universe we need to come up with a better cinematic cinematic universe
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what what happens now is that it um well listen if you're if your listeners go uh to the cinema
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to see the movie and bring their friends uh maybe there's more um i think i think it you know to me
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it's always about the genuine truth and honesty of it i mean even this project it took more than
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a few meetings with the studio to kind of figure out how to bridge that connective tissue where
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this made sense yeah you know listen it's easy to just say hey let's do this let's make a poster
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and figure it out later which is often how they make movies today unfortunately we were just it
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was real important to figure out where Daniel LaRusso was at this point of his life when Mr
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Han knocks on the door how do you connect Mr. Miyagi to Mr. Han and to enlighten LaRusso my
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character to want to help a new kid in a different city and so it was about finding the truth honesty
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and genuine kind of groundedness of that so for me it was um it felt like the natural evolution
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of a character to pay the legacy forward. If we can find that again
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or if, you know, Ben Wong in this movie is wonderful. Yeah
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The kid is great. He's got something. You can't, yeah, you can't kind of have a Karate Kid movie work
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if you don't like the kid, okay? And we do, and he's worked very hard
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and he's very winning. So who knows what the other story could be for tomorrow
9:16
It just has to be organic. Otherwise, you know, I don't know when it ends
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Do I do the Gran Torino version in my walker in a wheelchair
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I don't know. He's still going in. He's 15 years older than you. He's an inspiration
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I hope. I wish I still can go in. It's nice to be involved with storytelling that reaches families and young people in a positive way
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And Jackie, I know he's mentioned that and I feel that way as well
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There's a shortage of those kind of films and stories in a world that is not always so positive
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So it's nice to be on that side of it. Well, listen, we're excited to have Karate Kid back in our lives
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We're thrilled to see you guys together on screen. Thank you so much for coming on
10:03
Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio. Yes, thank you. Thank you. Thank you, thank you
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