‘Cobra Kai’: Xolo Maridueña Says William Zabka ‘Woke Me up’ in Season 1

Cobra Kai let Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) become a mentor to a new generation of karate kids. That extended to real life, too. Zabka’s Cobra Kai co-star Xolo Maridueña, who plays Miguel on the show, said working with Zabka had a positive influence on his life and his craft. 

Maridueña was a guest on the Back to One podcast on Sept. 27 to discuss his process as an actor. When it came to Zabka, Maridueña described the influence his Cobra Kai mentor had on him from the beginning of the show.

How William Zabka woke Xolo Maridueña up in ‘Cobra Kai’

Before Cobra Kai, Maridueña had worked on Parenthood, done episodic work and even voiceover. But watching Zabka return to his Karate Kid role lit a spark. 

“I think the dedication that he brings to the role really kind of woke me up those first seasons because before that I was just reading the lines and delivering them,”  Maridueña said on Back to One. “But he would come onto set, and I think even apart from the acting, the respect that he brought everyone on set from our producers that came from Westbrook to our cast, to our cinematographers, to our catering, to crafty. The immense amount of respect that he brought is unparalleled. I’ve never seen it to this day.”

William Zabka committed to the role of Johnny Lawrence

Maridueña recognized that Zabka was not phoning it in on Cobra Kai. As a result, he elevated everyone around him. 

“Every room that he’s in, the room is brightened because he has this sense of truth, this sense of genuineness because he’s welcoming,” Maridueña said. “The humility that he has and the ability that he has to take the last 30 years for what it was but really dive into the deep end when it comes to what would this character be like right now. Yeah, it’s goofy sometimes. Yeah, it’s corny and I think the show is understanding of that and I think that’s why it works. Billy has hit it right on the nail since day one.”

William Zabka sometimes apologizes to Xolo Maridueña on ‘Cobra Kai’

Another aspect of Zabka that made an impression on Maridueña was the separation of himself from his characters. 

“What Billy taught me is that there’s so much, you can come so far by just totally immersing yourself in this role and having no embarrassment, because some of the things that Billy says or that Johnny says, they’re ridiculous,” Maridueña said. “He’s stuck in the ‘80s, he’s totally out of touch with this world that everyone around him is living in. He’s like the kid in the bubble. He’s trapped in this year and inherently, sometimes it’s like we wrap or we cut and he’s like ‘I’m sorry. I would never have said that. I just have to make clear’ because he’s so good, because he’s so believable.”

If Zabka made Maridueña a better actor, that’s powerful mentorship because Maridueña is great on Cobra Kai. Especially in Season 5, Maridueña had some powerful emotional moments, with Miguel’s father, with Samantha. He’s clearly applying what he learned from Zabka in the beginning.