By India McCarty
Ralph Macchio just revealed the secret talent that helped him perform his iconic KARATE KID role: tap dancing.
“I wanted to be Gene Kelly,” the actor said during a recent appearance on LIVE WITH KELLY AND MARK. “My dad had me working at the laundromat learning the value of a dollar. And my mom and I used to watch the old movie musicals when I was a little kid. That’s where I was sort of bit with the bug of wanting to perform.”
Macchio shared that his tap dancing skills also helped him when it came time to learn martial arts for KARATE KID.
“It’s choreography, right? One you point your toes, the other you flex, I guess,” he explained.
The actor even broke out a few impromptu moves, which host Kelly Ripa called “very impressive.”
Macchio is currently promoting the latest installment in the KARATE KID franchise, KARATE KID: LEGENDS, which sees him reprise his legendary role of Daniel LaRusso.
“It sounds lame, but that character and the franchise brings joy to kids from six to 86,” he told Rolling Stone about being forever known as the “Karate Kid.” “In this world, if that’s my footprint, it could be worse.”
When the publication asked if he thinks this is his last time playing Daniel, Macchio said, “Listen, if you came to me in 1995 and said, ‘You’re going to play Daniel LaRusso again.’ I would say, ‘It’s never going to happen.’ So, never say never. Never say never.”
In an interview with The Guardian, Macchio spoke about the legacy of the KARATE KID movies, remarking on the lesson the movies teach about achieving something great, no matter who you are or where you come from.
“What I take from this is that literally everybody can become the best person in the world at karate,” he said, adding, “That’s a wonderful thing to be a part of.”
Speaking to PEOPLE, Macchio said, ‘The reason I’m in this movie is to pay that legacy forward. Shedding a little piece of Miyagi [his character’s teacher and mentor] forward. It’s never the wrong thing to do in Daniel LaRusso’s eyes and in Ralph Macchio’s eyes.”
Macchio’s secret talent for tap dancing might have helped him play the Karate Kid, but his dedication to the franchise’s legacy is what has made him one of the most important elements of the KARATE KID movies.
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