Interview: Xolo Maridueña talks role on YouTube’s Cobra Kai series
By Paul Zuniga
Actor, Xolo Maridueña, recently took the time to answer questions about his role in YouTube Red’s Cobra Kai series. On the series, he’ll be playing Miguel Diaz, one of the newest “karate kids” to join the Cobra Kai dojo.
It’s finally here! Cobra Kai, the spinoff to the widely successful Karate Kid movie from 1984 has finally arrived. It was released not too long ago on YouTube Red, kicking off the first in possibly multiple seasons. Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, the stars of the original Karate Kid are also back, but this time around, they’re senseis who’ve taken on new recruits.
One of the most recent additions to Johnny’s (William Zabka) dojo is Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña). He’ll be joining Johnny in his crusade to redeem the Cobra Kai name, as well as possibly becoming the next “karate kid” himself. Xolo Maridueña, the actor who plays Miguel, recently sat down with us to talk about his role on the series.
During said interview, Xolo spoke of where Miguel starts off on the series and how things progress between him and Johnny (Zabka) as the season moves forward. They don’t hit things off right away but their relationship grows after their first interactions with one another. Xolo emphasizes that there is a student-teacher bond between them, though it takes time for that to develop as well. Lucky for Miguel, he’s Johnny’s first recruit and will thus be first in line to receive mentoring.
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In addition to speaking on Miguel’s relationship with Johnny, Xolo also provided a bit of insight into how Daniel and Johnny’s roles have changed slightly since the last time we saw them. They’re still the same people but they’ve grown up and changed to some extent. Neither of them is all good or all bad at this point but we’ll see how those two sides factor into both characters altogether. Xolo confirms as much with his comments about Johnny and Miguel.
In-depth breakdown of our interview with Xolo Maridueña
For the final portion of our interview, we asked Xolo about his experience on the Cobra Kai set. He responded very positively, speaking fondly of the new environment and how he grew from it. Xolo hopes for more Cobra Kai and seems fairly confident in a continuation. The series has yet to be renewed but Xolo is ready if there’s more Cobra Kai to come.
Check out the transcribed version of our interview with Xolo below:
Hidden Remote: Xolo, on Cobra Kai, you’re playing Miguel Diaz, the newest Cobra Kai recruit. What can you tell me about your character?
Xolo Mariduena: Miguel is a young person who I think many will be able to relate to. He’s new to a school where he doesn’t know anyone. His social skills haven’t really bloomed yet. He is that part of us that is unsure. That part of us that isn’t fitting in and knows it. But then you can almost say that it was Miguel who recruited Cobra Kai through an interaction with Johnny. From that one interaction, we see the rebirth of the Cobra Kai dojo.
HR: From what we’ve seen in the promos, your character appears to be the underdog mentored by Johnny (William Zabka). Is that a correct assumption?
XM: Miguel is most definitely not on top of the high school food chain. The awesome thing about the Johnny and Miguel relationship is that it isn’t one that is instant. There isn’t an immediate connection, it’s really that build up to the relationship. On Miguel’s part, I think he takes the fact that Johnny is his Sensei very serious, but the story is really about when Johnny sees himself as a Sensei. That’s the journey that will be fun to watch.
HR: Would you call your character the lead recruit of Cobra Kai?
XM: Well, he is the first student, so I guess if you are taking role call on day one of class, yes, he’s the lead lol.
HR: Who approaches who, Johnny or Miguel? And how does your relationship expand from there?
XM: I think that’s something most people will want to see unfold on screen. You have some viewers who will have an almost life-long relationship with Johnny and Miguel and bringing their own perspectives to the show. So, they may think they have the blueprint for the show pretty laid out, but let’s just say, this isn’t that.
HR: Does your character have any standout moments you’d like to acknowledge?
XM: Oh, so many. The way Miguel is written, the way they let the character unroll, is made up of unguarded and unexpected moments. One that really sticks out for me is the junkyard scene because it was one where we got all the Cobra Kai dojo together. We got to work all day and really get to know each other like a group of friends. It’s also the moment when I got to do some really cool stunts, so that’s impactful to me for those reasons.
HR: In the promos, your character has been seen getting picked on by a group of bullies. Will that callback to Ralph Macchio’s character in the original Karate Kid?
XM: Oh, you will get to see all kinds of fun flashbacks and Easter eggs from the original Karate Kid but hopefully you’ll see them with a fresh approach.
HR: Do you think Danny and Johnny’s roles have been swapped in this spinoff of the Karate Kid, in terms of villain and hero archetypes? And where does Miguel stand on that divide?
XM: I am not sure if it’s a straight-up Freaky Friday swap but you will see that none of us are all good or all bad. Not Daniel, not Johnny, or Miguel. It’s going to be a different dive into these characters, sides you haven’t seen, and where Miguel stands isn’t so much in the middle but more alongside.
HR: What was the experience like shooting Cobra Kai and would you come back for me?
XM: We NEED to come back, there’s no way this story can’t continue! Filming was unlike anything I’ve done, in that I was challenged physically and as an actor. It was really the first time I wasn’t the “kid” on the show. I came into a totally welcoming crew and it allowed me to immerse myself in the role of Miguel in a way that I haven’t been able to before this project. I am looking forward to what happens to Miguel, I hope the viewers will too.
HR: What was your favorite part of playing Miguel? And what was your least favorite part?
XM: My favorite part was my least favorite part and that is getting in shape for the role. It was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do. Stretching for 2-3 hours a day and then filing for another 8 and working out 6 hours on the weekend to get to the point where I can do my many of my own stunts and really sell the fact that Miguel is becoming this kick-butt martial arts students. That was awesome and it was hard but it was so worth it.
Next: 10 Questions We Have About The Cobra Kai Series
HR: Apart from Cobra Kai, are there any projects that you’re involved with and want to talk about before we go?
XM: Yes, I’ll be helping the Red Cross for the next few months as they install free smoke alarms for thousands of LA homes. You can join me by registering at preparesocal.org/soundthealarm. I am also coming out on a really fun animated project, which I can’t say yet, but it’s a fan favorite graphic novel and a role that will be totally different for me.