Was Cobra Kai's William Zabka nominated for an Oscar? The real story behind the acceptance speech that never was
Season 3 of ‘Cobra Kai’, the American martial arts comedy-drama series based on ‘The Karate Kid’ film series, is going to be all about the actor and martial artist William Zabka’s character Johnny Lawrence. The show takes place 30 years after the events of the 1984 "All Valley Karate Tournament", where a now-successful Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) struggles to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of Mr Miyagi.
Season 3 of ‘Cobra Kai’ will find everyone reeling in the aftermath of the violent high school brawl between their dojos, which left Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) in a precarious condition. While Daniel searches for answers in his past and Johnny seeks redemption, Kreese (Martin Kove) further manipulates his vulnerable students with his own vision of dominance. The soul of the Valley will be at stake, and the fate of every student and sensei will hang in the balance.
Zabka’s claim to fame as an actor has been his role in ‘The Karate Kid’ films and ‘Cobra Kai’. In fact, in 1985, he was nominated for the Young Artist Award for “Best Young Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Musical, Comedy, Adventure or Drama”, for ‘The Karate Kid’. He also played the recurring role of Scott McCall in ‘The Equalizer’. Zabka’s more notable film roles include ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’, ‘Where Hope Grows’, ‘Cake: A Wedding Story’, and more.
But there’s more to him than meets the eye. Zabka, other than being an actor, is also a screenwriter, director, and producer. In fact, he has even been nominated for an Academy Award! ‘Most’, a 2003 Czech film directed by Bobby Garabedian and written and produced by Garabedian and Zabka received an Oscar nomination in the “Best Short Film, Live Action” category in 2004. The film follows a single Czech father who takes his eight-year-old son to work with him at the railroad drawbridge where he is the bridge tender. The film sees the father, played by Vladimír Javorský, make a difficult choice: between his love for his son and his duty.
Speaking about making the film, Zabka said in a Vulture interview: “That was amazing. We made it in Prague and Poland with a European cast, far away from the Hollywood system on purpose. We wanted to make a piece of art. I know what it’s like to not win an Oscar. I know what that smile and that clap is like when they don’t call your name.”
And while he did not win the award Zabka said that if he won, he would have said on the stage: "It's nice to get an award for writing and producing. But what I really want to be is an actor." He added, “And then I was going to go into a slow crane kick and just hold it there.” In fact, he said it was a bit of a relief to have not won. He told Vulture, “There’s a strange element of relief, though. Because there are so many people you have to thank, and you have to talk in front of all these people.”
The third season of ‘Cobra Kai’ will premiere globally on January 1, 2021, only on Netflix!