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In a show about the villain from the first The karate kid movie which includes the villain from The karate kid sequel, you just knew the villain of The karate kid part three it had to show up eventually. And this year? Cobra Kai delivered. The fifth season of the hit show is now on Netflix and features a surprising story about Mike Barnes, the “Bad Boy of Karate,” who is hired by the evil Terry Silver in the third film to defeat the Karate Kid himself, Daniel LaRusso. Of course, Barnes loses that match and we never hear from him again in the movie.
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However, the same cannot be said for the actor who played him. His name is Sean Kannan, and Kannan turned the role of this slimy karate fighter into a long career that began in soap operas like Multispecialty hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful, and continues to play roles both in front of and behind the camera. io9 spoke with him last week about finally returning to the role that made him a star: Karate’s bad boy, Mike Barnes.
Germain Lussier, io9: When I watched this season, it hadn’t been revealed that you were in it yet. So when you showed up, it was like, “Yeah! They finally did. They finally finished it.” I asked [Cobra Kai creators] John [Hurwitz]Hayden [Schlossberg]and Josh [Heald] “Where’s Mike Barnes? Where’s Mike Barnes?” for four seasons now.
Sean Cannon: You and me both.
io9: [Laughs] Yes, exactly. Well, that’s my first question. When did you first hear about the show and immediately thought, “Can I be on it”?
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Kanan: yes I mean, look. Apparently it was in all the deals. Everyone knew about it. I was very excited that the show was going to happen because I thought it was a great idea. I think everyone wanted to wait and see what the execution was like and it was flawless. And sure enough, right then I started getting the questions almost every week. Dozens of people at first and it eventually turned into hundreds of people a week asking. So, you know, it took a minute, but better late than never.
io9: Did they contact you just for the season? Or did you talk to the creators a few seasons before to say, “Hey, we’re working on this?” Basically, did you have any idea you were going to be on this season before you officially signed on?
Kanan: I had some contact with [producer] Josh Heald talked about it. And the one thing they said that I really respected was that they wanted to bring people in organically. It wasn’t a cameo, a stunt, which I really appreciate. And, true to the word, I think we came up with a really nice arc and story for the return of the Bad Boy of Karate.
io9: How were you offered the role? Do they just send you a script? Did they tell you what the idea was? And how much input did you get to get it all, if at all?
Kanan: We had a Zoom meeting, [producers] John [Hurwitz] and josh and me. Hayden [Schlossberg] I couldn’t do it. And they were wonderful. They asked me what some of my ideas were, and really the only thing I said was, “Look, far be it from me to dictate a plot to you guys.” I said the only things I would respectfully ask is, first, that the character not is the one-dimensional thug he was in the movie. And that was largely by design. here’s what [director] John Avildsen wanted and so I gave him what he wanted. But now after 34, 35 years, both as an actor and as a person, I wanted to make sure that we were able to bring a lot more dimensions and colors to the character. And I also said one of the most brilliant things Cobra Kai is the humor. And as someone who does comedy, it was important to me to inject comedy into the role whenever I could. And I think we managed to do that.
Note: The rest of the interview contains spoilers for Barnes’ role in the season.
io9: Oh, absolutely. It’s so unexpected and awesome. And obviously I imagine that a furniture salesman is not something you ever imagined.
Kanan: So that’s the part I really didn’t understand. They were pitching me this idea and it didn’t crystallize. I said, “Look, whatever you’ve come up with, I know it’s going to be brilliant. I agree. Let’s do this. I think we had a Zoom meeting in July or August even. And I was in Atlanta shooting in September.
io9: Oh wow. So it was quick.
Kanan: He was moving very fast.
io9: In all the years since then The The Karate Kid Part III, and especially when Cobra Kai you started and you started getting questions about coming back, did you have any idea in your mind what Mike might do?
Kanan: That’s a great question. So I’ve always wondered what happened to this guy because he was a 17-year-old kid, obviously still very malleable and life could have taken him in many different directions. So I figured he either continued down the path of sociopathy he started and probably ended up in prison. Or maybe he ended up going into the army and somehow standing up and getting a sense of honor and maybe even becoming an officer. The best I ever heard though was someone say wouldn’t it be funny if Danielle and Johnny had to go to court-ordered anger management counseling and Barnes was the counselor? And I thought it was pretty good.
io9: Was there anything cut The Karate Kid III or did your shooting speak to any of that or inform his character at all?
Kanan: As far as I know, no, there were no other scenes that talked about Mike’s past. In a perfect world, I think it would have been great for Mike to really express that what he’s doing to Daniel isn’t personal. That everything was based on business. And the reason he did it was because he needed money for his family. I think that would have given him a lot of depth and I think it would have been an easy decision. yes But, again, this wasn’t Mike Barnes’ story. It was the story of Daniel and Mr. Miyagi.
io9: I just watched again Karate Kid III, which I tend to do if it’s on, and I forgot Mike negotiated 50% of Terry Silver’s Cobra Kai. I realized that things would have been very different on this show if you had won this tournament.
Kanan: This is true. And Mike brings this up and says, hey, listen, I insisted they include it in the contract. So apparently there is a contract somewhere.
io9: Yes, exactly. Okay, I want to talk about the finale. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing because apparently you’re gone for a few episodes and then we get what I call ‘Karate Kid: Endgame’ where you get all the main villains from The karate kid movies together to fight one person. Did you ever think, all these years ago, that you would end up on screen with all these guys, and what was it like filming that?
Kanan: No, I didn’t think I’d go through with all of them. I had no idea how they were going to create a bridge between Mike Barnes and Chozen, which I think is fantastic. But it was great. You know, I know Yuji [Okumoto] and Billy [Zabka], I’ve known him for years. Yuji was in my hometown of Newcastle, PA for a martial arts tournament a few years ago. So, these are guys that I know, and to finally be able to work with them after all these years was great. And I have to say, I really thought the four of us had really fun, interesting chemistry together.
io9: Oh, absolutely. So what was it like on set? Was it fun? It must have been difficult to film as there is a lot, a lot of choreography.
Kanan: Yes, it was indeed one of the best shooting experiences I’ve had. It was fun. We worked hard but the boys were great as I said. Ralph [Macchio] and Billy and Yuji, great job with them. It had a pinch me quality. Even Ralph and I looked at each other at one point and said, “Can you believe this?” I mean, 34, 35 years later, here we are doing this again. And, I’ve said this before, but it was so nice to have the chance to meet Ralph again as an adult now and connect with him on a very different level than when this cocky 22-year-old kid was playing Nemesis all those years ago years.
io9: That’s so cool. Now that you’re in, was it hard to keep the secret? How did you manage to do it?
Kanan: It was very hard. Everyone kept asking me and all I kept saying was “Keep the faith and we’ll see.”
io9: Finally, we don’t know what season six will hold, and Mike’s story seems pretty well wrapped up. But if they asked you to come back, would you want to come back? Do you think there is more to the character?
Kanan: In an instant. I would love it.
Cobra Kai season five is now on Netflix.
Want more io9 news? See when to expect the latest a miracle and star Wars releases, what’s next for DC Universe on film and televisionand everything you need to know about The house of the dragon and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
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