Ralph Macchio's Daughter Loves Watching Him Get Beat Up in 'The Karate Kid'

Macchio said he is still recognized on the street for playing the role of Daniel LaRusso

Photo: Mireya Acierto/Getty

Turns out, not everyone was rooting for young Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid.

Ralph Macchio recalled the first time he showed his daughter his breakout role in The Karate Kid, admitting that he didn’t show her until she asked about a piece of movie memorabilia.

“I think my daughter was 5 years old,” he told the New York Post. “I was doing [a tour of] How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. We’d do press at Planet Hollywood, and there would be memorabilia from movies. My daughter saw a headband or something from the film and asked, ‘What is this?’ Finally I showed her the film.”

And while his daughter wasn’t too keen with seeing her dad get karate chopped at first, as she grew older, she eventually found it funny to watch.

“I laugh now, because she ran out of the room when I got beat up,” he explained. “When she was a teenager though, she took great pleasure in watching them beat the s— out of me.”

Even 32 years after the film was released, Macchio, 54, said he is still recognized on the street for playing the role of Daniel LaRusso. The actor said he appreciates how much the film resonated with his fans.

“People will say, ‘Wax on, wax off,’ like they’re the first one to come up with it,” he said. “But you know, you smile. It’s good stuff. For people to be talking about a film you did 30 years ago and for it to still be relevant is nice.”