For those who grew up in the mid 1980s and the 1990s would remember watching the original The Karate Kid trilogy, where a very young Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid trilogy, Cobra Kai) played Daniel LaRusso a karate enthusiast who ended up becoming a legend, due to the mentoring and training provided by Mr Miyagi, played by the late Pat Morita (The Karate Kid trilogy, The Next Karate Kid). 41 years later, The Karate Kid trilogy still stands as an iconic American pop culture franchise with the infamous “wax on, wax off” quote from the film is enshrined in the memories of many.
With two more adaptations following the trilogy – The Next Karate Kid with Hillary Swank (1994) and The Karate Kid with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith (2010) it appeared that this franchise was coming to its end. A sequel live-action series on Netflix Cobra Kai revived the franchise with Macchio and Willian Zabka ( who was in the original trilogy) reprising their roles 34 years later re-examining a Miyagi-Verse narrative.
Now in 2025, there is a new story, new drama and a new Karate Kid. This time it is Chinese American actor Ben Wang (American Born Chinese, Chang Can Dunk, Sight) who takes on the mantle as Li Fong. Li has just moved from Beijing to New York City with his mother Dr. Fong, played by Ming-Na Wen (Mulan, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, The Joy Luck Club) after a traumatic event and struggles to adapt and fit in with his new life. In a recent interview with Wang, he discusses how Li and the real him are actually quite similar in life circumstances, and with this similarity he was able to inject a lot of his own experiences to humanize his character.
“Well there is a lot of similarities in our life stories. Li Fong is a kid who grew up in China and after a tragedy, him and his single working mother moved to New York City. Remove the family tragedy part and this is my life- born in China and moved to New York City with my mother, and my grandparents”.
“I hope I can do justice to Li Fong– I tried my best to ensure he had many of the traits I possess, and with that I hope Li Fong can add to the long history of the Karate Kid. I feel absolutely lucky to be picked over thousands of interested candidates to be in this film”.
Despite difficulties in adapting to a new life and environment, Li does make one friend and finds solace in this friendship. But his newfound peace is short-lived after he attracts unwanted attention from a formidable local karate champion. Driven by a desire to defend himself, Li embarks on a journey to enter the ultimate karate competition. Guided by the wisdom of his kung fu teacher, Mr. Han, played by Jackie Chan ( The Karate Kid (2010), Rush Hour 1 & 2, Police Story) and the legendary Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso, played by Macchio, Li merges their unique styles to prepare for an epic martial arts showdown.
Having proficiency in a few martial arts forms which includes wing chun and taekwondo, Wang spoke about how he enjoyed the choreography karate scenes – whether it be training with Chan and Macchio ( Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso) or whether it was fighting in the major competitions.
“I love physical activities and martial arts is something which has formed a lot of my childhood and life. So, it really is my luck that I am able to do the things I love in this film. For most Asians – whether they be Asian Americans or Asians all over the world, love martial arts. It forms part of our history and culture”.
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“The one thing I will say though, it was as I said earlier fun yet challenging in getting my choreography right in each scene. I really pushed myself beyond what I thought I was capable of and where it was not easy, I had so much fun working on these scenes and learning so many things about choreographed fight scenes,” Wang said.
Being only 25 years old, Wang would have been too young to remember the original The Karate Kid trilogy, but he is a part of a new generation of Asians who appreciate the impact franchises like The Karate Kid has on the history and the future of film, entertainment and pop culture. Now being in the thick of it and being a part of revolutionizing this iconic franchise, Wang said his first consciousness of this was in 2010, when Jayden Smith played the Karate Kid.
“I wasn’t around yet for the release of the original trilogy, but I was there for the 2010 version with Jackie Chan. I remember I was still in elementary school and I was so hyped for the movie. After watching it I felt it literally blew me away, and it was one of the reasons why I got serious about martial arts. Jayden Smith playing the Karate Kid inspired me because he was around my age and I thought to myself – if he can do it, I can too – I guess it all has come a full circle”.
Wang has had thus far a very interesting and successful career. Starting in 2021, he had a role in an episode of MacGyver. Since then he has grown and slowly become a household name. Staying on this point, Wang reflected how he is a beneficiary of the movement for better representation and visibility of Asians in Hollywood. Standing on the shoulders of those who worked hard to be seen over many decades, Wang hopes that he can create a space for more Asians to come into an industry and not feel the pressure of having to play tokenized characters or stereotypes.
Wang has been involved with four projects which were Asian American centered (Chang Can Dunk, Sight, American Born Chinese and The Karate Kid: Legends), and he hopes to do more in the future. More importantly, his next milestone will be playing the character Wyatt Callow in the next installment to another iconic franchise- The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping in 2026.
“Professionally, I went to drama school in the mid 2010s. I remember being asked to identify some examples of films or TV shows I could imagine myself being in – and I couldn’t because growing up as a kid, it was still a rarity to see characters and actors who look like me on the big and small screens. When I entered the industry, I was able to benefit from all the advocacy achieved by those who entered the industry before I did. Films like Crazy Rich Asians, Everything Everywhere All At Once and Shang-Chi to name a few really paved the way in opening up the imaginations giving our faces and stories a space”, Wang passionately expressed.
Read more: Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio’s ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ Gets First Look
“I want to take this on now and contribute to the movement by being visible and seen. I am so excited for this installment to the Karate Kid franchise and my upcoming role on The Hunger Games. I think I will end by saying – watch this space”.
Karate Kid: Legends releases in theaters across the USA and UK on May 30, and other countries like Australia on June 4.
