Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña Reveals His Favorite Scene Partner

Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña reveals his favorite co-star to film scenes with. Based on The Karate Kid franchise, the series takes place more than three decades after the original Karate Kid and turns the focus to Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). In Cobra Kai season 4, which made its debut late last year, Johnny and Daniel (Ralph Macchio) continue to make bumbling attempts to leave their long-standing feud in the past as they both prep for the All Valley Karate Tournament.

In addition to bringing back original characters, Cobra Kai introduces viewers to a new generation of fighters, including Miguel Diaz. Played by Maridueña, Miguel is first depicted as a teen struggling with low self-esteem. Living next door to Johnny, the two characters strike up an unlikely friendship that is frequently funny and, in Cobra Kai season 4, Johnny settles into the role of a father figure for Miguel. This leads to friction between the two characters, ultimately helping Miguel to realize that he needs to leave for Mexico City in order to meet his biological father.

Speaking with Teen Vogue, Maridueña revealed that the scenes between Miguel and Johnny are among his favorite scenes to film. The actor, who will soon play the lead role in the DC movie Blue Beetle, said that Zabka was his favorite Cobra Kai actor to share the screen with. Maridueña also mentions Jacob Bertrand, who plays Hawk. The two host a culture podcast called Lone Lobos, which Maridueña mentions in his comments: “We lived together when we filmed. We have a podcast together. We’re practically attached at the hip.”

Bertrand and Zabka are two of Maridueña’s most frequent scene partners. With the relationship of Miguel and Johnny, Cobra Kai is able to flex some of its comedic muscle as audiences have seen how often Miguel has had to react to Johnny’s distinctly out-of-touch tendencies. Beyond the humor of the mismatch, there’s genuine affection in the bond that has built over the course of the series’ four seasons. The same is true for Miguel’s friendship with Hawk, which has shifted and changed but remains bolstered by the real friendship of Maridueña and Bertrand — a fact that the writers leaned into for the Cobra Kai season 4 finale, which sees Hawk get his time at the forefront.

That camaraderie that Maridueña speaks of also helps to highlight why Cobra Kai has become a hit while other reboots and continuations struggle to integrate new characters into an already-existing world. There has been time spent on new characters like Miguel, with the fighter’s inner-life and relationships becoming clearer the more Maridueña has eased into the role and his fellow actors. It’s an ease and comfortability that shows on-screen.

Source: Teen Vogue

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Abdullah Al-Ghamdi
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Abdullah Al-Ghamdi joined Screen Rant in August 2019, focusing on movie and television news. In January of the same year, he wrote a 3500+ word piece on why Primo Colón is underrated. He considers it his finest work. When he’s not arguing for the merits of his favorite wrestler, he can be reached at: [email protected].

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