Interview: William Zabka (‘Cobra Kai’) remembers his Tiger Beat past and talks the future of Johnny Lawrence [VIDEO]

When you think of William Zabka, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Now to some, that might be a silly question as most would pick Johnny Lawrence, the blonde-haired baddie from the first two Karate Kid films, but did you know Zabka is also an Oscar-nominated writer for a short film called Most? Zabka also has been in the entertainment industry for most of his life, ranging from various commercial appearances to supporting roles in several television shows and films. Zabka is one of the hardest working men in show business and always delivers when called upon. However, it seems all roads have lead him back to the role which he made famous, Johnny Lawrence.

Zabka can be seen alongside Ralph Macchio in Netflix’s Cobra Kai which aired its third season earlier this year. The show picks up decades after Johnny’s loss in the All-Valley tournament to Daniel, and we see that his life has hit rock bottom. Lawrence is attempting to get his life together, and to him, the key is through bringing back his one trust love, Cobra Kai. However, just like most things for the 1983 runner-up in the All-Valley Tournament, it doesn’t go as planned; what’s different is that we see Johnny’s desire to change, and even through adverse moments, Lawrence attempts to see it through in his own way. Now his methods might be unconventional, but that’s Johnny.

In Season 3, we see Zabka put through the emotional wringer: the fallout stemming from the incident at the school that paralyzed Miguel at the end of season 2, trying to come to terms with his own emotional baggage and finally realizing that Daniel’s not the enemy. It really is by far the best performance of the season, and he deserves all sorts of praise for it.

We were lucky enough to have an extended conversation with this talented actor about his Teen Beat history, how he feels about the show’s fans and all things Cobra Kai, where we gained some fascinating insight into who Johnny Lawrence is.

All three seasons of Cobra Kai are currently available to stream on Netflix.

Photo: Curtis Bonds Baker / Netflix

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Dewey Singleton

I'm a member of Critics Choice, Hollywood Critics Association, and The Society of Professional Journalists. I am also on Rotten Tomatoes. My bylines include @awardswatch, @deweysmovies, @awardsradar, @weliveentertainment, @bleedingcool, and @insessionfilm. I am married to @sgitw and have two sons.

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