Cobra Kai stars Dallas Dupree Young, Oona O'Brien, and Griffin Santopietro reveal how much the adult cast members on set have become their real-life senseis. Cobra Kai is a series that began airing on YouTube Red in 2018, subsequently being picked up by Netflix after season 2. The show, which is a sequel to the popular Karate Kid film franchise, follows a down-and-out Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) reopening the Cobra Kai dojo and accidentally reigniting the rivalry between himself and former All Valley karate champion Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). Over its run, the series has featured the return of many original characters including John Kreese (Martin Kove), Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue), Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), and The Karate Kid Part II's Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita). Cobra Kai season 5 is currently set to premiere on Netflix on September 9, 2022.
There is a large ensemble cast of young folks who have breathed new life into the competing dojos. Although O'Brien and Young are newer additions, Santopietro has appeared on all four seasons in various capacities (he is a recurring character in every season but season 3, in which he was classified as a guest star) as Daniel's teenage son Anthony. Young, who appeared as a recurring character in season 4 but has been bumped up to the main cast for season 5, plays Kenny Payne, who is the younger brother of Okea Eme-Akwari's Shawn and seeks out personal training from Johnny's son after being bullied by Anthony and his friends. O'Brien joined as a recurring character at the same time, playing debate team member turned Eagle Fang student Devon Lee.
Screen Rant had the opportunity to sit down with Young, O'Brien, and Santopietro for an exclusive interview ahead of Cobra Kai season 5. During the conversation, they described how the adult cast acts as mentors to them. O'Brien shared that Zabka "always gives great advice," Young says that Silver is "pretty much like our sensei in real life," and Santopietro reveals that his onscreen dad, Macchio, feels like a father figure in many real ways, and that "I feel like I can come to him with any problem." Read their full quotes below:
Dallas Dupree Young: For me, personally, the answer that would come to mind would definitely be Terry Silver— Thomas Ian Griffith. He is pretty much like our sensei in real life and on camera.
Anytime we're slipping up on a certain technique and or a certain move, he'll adjust it and let us know what we can do. Pretty much, if I'm throwing a punch, and I'm not turning my hips—I remember this happened early in the season—he just was like, "Hey, Dallas. If you just turn your hip a little bit more, you'll have a little more power." And it really came to life; I did that. We had a conversation about different techniques; how to keep growing and keep learning in karate.
Oona O'Brien: For me, it's Johnny Lawrence—[William] Zabka. He always gives great advice, whether it's acting or karate. These guys have been doing it for a while, and they're pretty good at karate now too. So, they're always there to help you out.
Griffin Santopietro: I guess we're all doing our actual senseis, but mine's definitely got to be Ralph [Macchio]. Just getting to work with him for the last five years has been—mostly from an acting standpoint; I can't speak too much to karate yet. But from the professional standpoint, he's been really helpful in teaching me things; I'm just getting to watch him and learn. He's like my TV dad, and I feel like I can come to him with any problem.
It makes perfect sense that each of the actors cited one of the legacy performers that they work with the most. However, the fact that each of them has similar praise for each of their mentors speaks to how nurturing and helpful the adult cast is as a whole. These on-set dynamics are certainly what have fed into the show's lasting success.
In spite of its labored origins and swapping networks, Cobra Kai is one of the most successful reboot series out there. While many nostalgia-based series have been made in the last couple of years, adapted from both older television series and film series alike, it is unusual for one of them to last as many seasons as this one. Because of the generosity offered by the legacy cast, both in terms of sticking around for the long haul and in helping the young actors find their footing, the show has the potential to keep going even further as well.