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'Loved Every Minute': Jacob Bertrand Praises Ralph Macchio And William Zabka For Being His Mentors
Jacob Bertrand appreciates how Ralph Macchio and William Zabka have mentored him on set, with Macchio allowing him creative freedom.
Through the years, Jacob Bertrand has learned to treat Ralph Macchio and William Zabka as real-life mentors.
Speaking to PEOPLE exclusively regarding the show’s sixth and last season, Bertrand, 24, says that Zabka and Macchio have been his teachers and sensei during the filming of the Cobra Kai series.
He states that he loves every single moment that they spent working together and he feels grateful for the fact that they tutored him. Bertrand adds that Zabka taught him about movement and gestures, while Macchio concentrated on the role aspect.
"I've loved every minute I've had working with them and they were kind enough to take the young kid under their wing and take the time to teach me some cool stuff," he gushed before giving examples of how Zabka helped with movement and Macchio with character development.
Jacob Bertrand stated that he is very lucky to be working with Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, who have shared a lot of knowledge with him during their collaboration on Cobra Kai.
Zabka, another Disney Channel star, states that he assisted Bertrand with the ‘technical side of fighting’ while Macchio brought the tone down in every scene. Looking back, Bertrand is charmed by the opportunity to work with Macchio, who, in his turn, is an actor’s director, who makes everyone feel that they have all the time in the world despite the strict time constraints of the show. With this strategy, Macchio empowered the cast and encouraged them to be creative and versatile.
"Especially when Ralph was directing, it was such a blast to be directed by him," he recalls. "I've never been directed by what someone will call an actor's director before. Our show is so rushed and we don't have a lot of time to do anything but for whatever reason, when Ralph was directing, you don't feel rushed."
Bertrand also mentions that Zabka has a different language of communication that many other directors do not have and it was an equally great learning experience working with him.
"He makes you feel seen and gives you the time to try out different things. Same with Billy (Zabka), Billy in a different way, but both of them they were able to speak this other language that a lot of directors aren't," Bertrand continues.
Netflix’s karate series, known as Cobra Kai, which started in 2018, will conclude with season six. This season, Cobra Kai is gone from the Valley, and the Miyagi-Do Karate is considering whether they will participate in Sekai Taikai, the world karate championship.
Recalling the experience, Ralph Macchio commented on how the friendship with William Zabka has evolved, as has the series.
"For Billy and I, the depth and level of our friendship and our history together has just gone beyond, just like this show has," Macchio said. "You're taking the nostalgia, you're taking the source material of what The Karate Kid universe has sort of created, and then defining it in a whole new way, never losing sight of what it really is."
He talked about blending the nostalgia of The Karate Kid with new storytelling, all while keeping true to the original spirit.
You can catch the first part of Cobra Kai's final season on Netflix right now. Part 2 drops on November 15, and the last part will come out in 2025.
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