Words by Carol Wright | Photos by Tim Schaeffer at Cellar Door Studios |
Hair and Makeup by Joseph Adivari
We got the chance to chat with Xolo about his character Miguel in the YouTube Red original series Cobra Kai and working with the legendary William Zabka.
Before auditioning for Cobra Kai were you a fan of the Karate Kid movies?
Before I auditioned for Cobra Kai, I had not seen the original Karate Kid, or at least I didn’t remember it. I knew the big pop culture references like ‘sweep the leg’ or ‘put him in a body bag,’ but I didn’t know the full story of the Karate Kid. Looking back at it, it is very surreal to get to work with actors on the show that played such a big role in people’s lives.
In the series, you’re the first student under Sensei Johnny. Were you excited to be working with William Zabka? Has he given you any advice on set?
I was a little nervous to work with Billy at first, being around people with experience in the work field can be intimidating at times (especially when they’re huge stars). I quickly found out how comforting, welcoming, and genuine Billy is. I’m glad to call him my friend and sensei. I can’t wait to see what stories we tell in the future.
Cobra Kai has been a huge hit. Was it rewarding to see fans’ positive reactions to the first season?
Hearing the reactions to Cobra Kai Season 1 has been like a double edged sword. On one hand, I really enjoy hearing all of the positive reactions people have towards something that we’ve worked long and hard to perfect. On the other hand, because the show has done so well, it added a new layer of pressure when we started to film Season 2. The pressure came from all of our newfound fans that have expectations for it to be just as good if not better than the first season.
Things were pretty intense after the season 1 finale. What can fans expect from Miguel in season 2?
Fans can expect to see Miguel grow and flourish as a young teen trying to find his place in high school, very much like myself, it’s hard to decide what is right and wrong when you’re experiencing many new things for the first time. You can expect to see Miguel learn by successes and sometimes failure but most of all, with the help of his sensei Johnny Lawrence.
Do you see a future for Samantha and Miguel’s relationship in season 2?
I think Miguel will always have a soft spot for Samantha being that she is his first love, but I’m not sure if dating a dirty LaRusso is what’s right for Miguel right now. In all seriousness, Miguel has a lot of work to do on himself and work on finding the balance between Cobra Kai and the rest of his life before he can juggle Cobra Kai and a girlfriend.
What advice do you have for aspiring actors?
You can’t be afraid to fail, but most of all in this industry, you’re going to hear a lot of ‘no’s but all it takes is one yes, so don’t let all of the no’s discourage you. That’s all.