Warning: SPOILERS for Cobra Kai Season 5Sean Kanan finally joined the cast of Cobra Kai season 5, and his comeback was worth the wait. As Mike Barnes, Kanan portrayed Daniel LaRusso's (Ralph Macchio) adversary in The Karate Kid Part III, and "Karate's Bad Boy" was a legacy character Cobra Kai fans demanded to appear in Netflix's series.
No time was better than the current season, given that antagonist Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) was in the process of taking his Cobra Kai dojo global. Daniel and Johnny needed all the help they could get, even if it came from a former frienemy.
Screen Rant chatted with Sean Kanan about his return as an older, more mature Mike Barnes in Cobra Kai season 5, what it was like working with Ralph Macchio again and meeting the Cobra Kai cast, his thoughts on the karate on the show, whether he'd return as Mike Barnes for Cobra Kai season 6, and his iconic role as Deacon Sharpe on The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless.
Sean Kanan Talks Cobra Kai
The Karate Kid Part III was your first Hollywood role. Did you ever think that 35 years later, you'd come back and play Mike "Effing" Barnes again?
Sean Kanan: Absolutely not. To be reprising the role that I played 35 years ago, and that the role still has a place in the Karate Kid fandom's heart... It was just something that I never imagined. Once I heard that Cobra Kai was happening, obviously, I started thinking, "Wow, this would be an amazing opportunity. To come back and reprise the role. Just incredible." You know, there are very few roles that actors do that once they finish them, [they] continue to live on in the minds of the fans. And I'm just humbled and blessed and so excited for everyone to see season five.
When did you find out that Cobra Kai existed and that Ralph Macchio and William Zabka were continuing The Karate Kid in a TV series?
Sean Kanan: I caught up pretty quickly, before they went into principal photography, because it was in the trades. And so I was really excited for them. You know, Billy and Ralph are terrific guys. I'm so happy for all the success that they're experiencing with this. And, you know, it's been a bit of a long journey for me to get to Cobra Kai, but it was certainly worth the wait.
How were you finally contacted to join the show? And what was your reaction when it finally happened?
Sean Kanan: I had spoken off and on with the creators of the show, and they obviously knew that I wanted to be a part of it. And I think that probably in June of last year, we scheduled a Zoom meeting was Jon Hurwitz and Josh Heald. Hayden [Schlossberg] could make it. And we sat down and talked about the possibility of what it would look like for Mike to come back.
I couldn't believe that they were willing to listen to my ideas and everything, because it's not the norm that the creators of a successful show will sit down with an actor and get their input. We talked for a while, and I said, "Look, I'm so excited to come back, I certainly put myself in your extremely capable hands." And really, the only thing that I had said to them was I really would love it, if possible, that Mike is not this sort of uni-dimensional character that he was in The Karate Kid 3.
I've evolved a lot as a person, as an actor, and chances are that Mike has evolved too. And I would like to play the character with a lot more colors and different facets of his personality. And to their credit, that's what I think we were able to do.
I really love the turns Mike took and how, as you said, he really did evolve and grow as a person. You've obviously stayed in fighting shape, and a lot of people probably don't know that you really have belts in karate. Can you talk a little bit about your karate experience?
Sean Kanan: Sure. My martial arts experience started back when I was about 15 years old. I started training in Shotokan karate, and I've trained off and on over the years, in various styles, including some Brazilian jujitsu and Filipino stick and knife fighting with Darryl Vidal from The Karate Kid.
What's interesting is the head of my martial arts organization, which is called Genbu-Kai, is headed up by sensei Fumio Demura, who was Pat Morita's stunt double. And he actually was very instrumental in my getting the role. And what I studied, Genbu-Kai karate, is really about as close to what Miyagi-Do is as you can get, which is kind of ironic that playing the villain from Cobra Kai, I really trained in something that's very much akin to what Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel.
That's really amazing. I just love the parallels in life to how your story turned out in the show. Now, given your karate experience, what's your take on the karate on the show, especially the younger cast who actually had to learn karate?
Sean Kanan: I think it's fantastic. I am absolutely in awe of the talent and expertise that everybody on the show demonstrates. You know, it's a lot of hard work, learning the choreography, making sure nobody gets hurt. Television moves very quickly so, consequently, you don't get as much rehearsal time as you would on a feature film.
They've got an unbelievable group of stuntmen and choreographers headed up by Don Lee. And, when I went down there, and they kind of wanted to take a look at what I could do, and they did, they said, "Well, we're in pretty good shape here." And they constructed the choreography, and you know, just had so much fun working on it with Yuji [Okumoto] and with Billy. It was just great. It really was.
As a diehard Karate Kid fan, I lost my mind when you, Chozen, and Johnny teamed up to fight Terry Silver. That's a dream. How was that whole thing to shoot, and working with those guys?
Sean Kanan: Oh my God, it was so much fun. I mean, they're great, guys. First of all, just hanging out with Billy and Yuji and Ralph on set is a lot of fun. You can forget really quickly that it's a job. They're great to work with you. It was exciting because it was the first time that Johnny Lawrence and Mike Barnes had ever come into contact. You see these guys initially are butting heads, and then very quickly, it kind of evolves into this sort of weird ersatz mutual respect into... Could these guys eventually become friends?
I just love when Johnny says, "The Bad Boy's right!" (laughs) That's one of the great things about this show; the strong comedic vibe that it has. And to watch Yuji play a part that's got such a strong comedic aspect to it is a lot of fun. And it was important for me too. I wanted to do my best to show a comedic side, in some respects, of Mike Barnes.
Between you and Ralph, Billy, Yuji, and Thomas [Ian Griffith], who's the best fighter? And if you take yourself out of the equation, if you say you're the best, then who among them is the best?
Sean Kanan: Thomas is a really accomplished martial artist. He really is. He's been doing this a long time, and he's taught. So I think, definitely, the nod goes to Thomas on that one.
And then, after that, I don't know. I think Billy and Yuji and I have all studied in varying degrees, you know, with different levels of intensity at different times in our lives. Listen, I'm 55 years old. At this point in my life, I'm just happy I can still kick above my head, [and] not wind up pulling something and winding up in bed for three days. So I don't know who's better. I always get asked that, between Barnes and Lawrence, who's better, and, I'll let the fans decide.
When we meet Mike Barnes again, he's in a totally different place. A totally surprising place. What's your take on his evolution, where he is in life now? And I love also that the second after he meets Daniel Russo, the whole thing falls apart.
Sean Kanan: Right, right. Well, I think that Mike clearly had a really difficult time after the All Valley tournament, and [he] probably had a real rough period for a while. And as he says to Daniel, it was his father-in-law who taught him that he could do something else with his hands besides fight, and probably the relationship with his wife really helped turn him around. And he found something that gave him a sense of value, which was making furniture, and running this furniture store, and his relationship with his wife and relationship with his father-in-law.
And then I think, when that's all taken away from him by Terry, the switch gets flipped. And we see that Mike was able to be this guy over here, which was a husband and a business owner, and kind of upstanding citizen. But once all of those elements of his new life were taken out of place, he defaults to what he knows, which is the guy's a beast, and he's ready to rip the head off the snake.
Of course, Mike Barnes was a villain in the '80s, but he isn't your only iconic character. You've actually played Deacon Sharpe for a lot longer on The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless. What's your key to playing a great villain, especially when that lasts for so long?
Sean Kanan: I think it's a couple of things. First of all, you know, no villain sees themselves as a villain. They see themselves as an individual trying to get what they want with a point of view. And so you have to understand what the point of view is of your character. I also think that good people do bad things, bad people do good things, and that it's always interesting to explore those nano shades of gray that exist within all of us. Because very few people, very few things in life are monolithically this or that, black or white, good or bad. And so, when you find the humanity in characters that ostensibly would be called a villain, that's what makes it interesting.
Fingers are crossed that Cobra Kai is going to be back for season six. Are you in as Mike Barnes if that happens?
Sean Kanan: Listen, if they would like me to be in it, just tell me where to pack the sleeveless black... Well, I guess it wouldn't be sleeveless black gi anymore, would it? You never know, though.
Yeah, sure, I'd be in it. I had such an amazing time doing it. It was an exceptional experience on so many different levels that I would absolutely love to be a part of it if they ask.
Cobra Kai Season 5 Synopsis
Cobra Kai takes place over 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka).
Following the shocking results of the All Valley Tournament, Season 5 finds Terry Silver expanding the Cobra Kai empire and trying to make his "No Mercy" style of karate the only game in town. With Kreese behind bars and Johnny Lawrence setting karate aside to focus on repairing the damage he’s caused, Daniel LaRusso must call on an old friend for help.
Check out our other interviews with Cobra Kai stars:
- Xolo Maridueña, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni DeCenzo, Mary Mouser & Peyton List
- Ralph Macchio & William Zabka
- Thomas Ian Griffith & Yuji Okumoto
- Robyn Lively
- Dallas Dupree Young, Oona O'Brien & Griffin Santopietro
All episodes of Cobra Kai season 5 are now available to stream on Netflix.