'Cobra Kai' star Martin Kove says he's still developing John Kreese's character after creating him 30 years ago
Veteran actor Martin Kove has had a decorated career in Hollywood thus far and the 73-year old is still going strong. He is well-known for his role of John Kreese as the Bad Sensei in 'The Karate Kid' movie series and, more recently, 'Cobra Kai', the martial arts drama.
The actor also has a distinguished list of movies under his belt. While he is predominantly known for action-oriented roles, Kove has also dabbled with different genres that include comedy, horror, and drama.
Kove's next movie, 'V.F.W.', an action-horror film featuring three war veterans who defend a local teen from being attacked by a deranged drug dealer and his relentless army of punk mutants while holed up in a church.
In an exclusive chat with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), Kove spoke about the different roles he played over the years and why researching each role and experimenting with different genres was a conscious call.
"When you do your research on the character, ultimately no one does the character better than I do," Kove explained. He also cited the character of John Kreese, the antagonist, in 'The Karate Kid' and 'Cobra Kai.'
"I created him thirty years ago, and I still do my research and homework on who he is and how he came from."
It is not surprising that Kove is one of the most-loved characters in 'Cobra Kai,' given the amount of research that has gone in to add more depth to the character.
One of the younger characters from the show, Hannah Kepple, said that Kove was a force to reckon with and he bought in a lot of dynamism to his role as Kreese. "It was a great experience for all of us to be working alongside him, and we learned a lot on the sets," she said.
Kove also added that he has experimented more with roles and movie genres as he grew older. "As I grew older, I loved the craft of acting more than I ever did before and I experiment with acting more than before, throwing in some comedy, some satire, playing action roles at times." he said.
He will next be seen in Quentin Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' and then it is back to shooting for the third season of 'Cobra Kai' again in August.
'Cobra Kai' seasons 1 and 2 are available for streaming on YouTube Premium. Season 3 will premiere in September 2020.