Martin Kove on Cobra Kai, Karate Kid, Comics, and Westerns

Kyle Meredith With...

Martin Kove joins Kyle Meredith to reflect on an extraordinary career that spans over 50 years in Hollywood, from memorable guest spots on Gunsmoke, Kojak, and Charlie's Angels to his definitive role as the unrelenting John Kreese in The Karate Kid franchise and its Netflix sequel series, Cobra Kai.

Kove describes the evolution of Kreese as a character who began as the ultimate antagonist but has grown into a nuanced figure with layers of vulnerability. "I'd rather cry on camera than beat someone up," Kove says of his approach to playing the tough-guy roles that made him famous. With Cobra Kai’s upcoming final episodes, Kove teases moments of redemption for Kreese, a man forced to reconcile his rigid worldviews with the lessons life has thrown at him.

As for his involvement in the upcoming Karate Kid: Legends movie starring Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, Kove remains in the dark. "Very few of us were privy to anything of what this movie's even about," he says, before recalling how he was invited to the set of the Will Smith-produced 2010 remake starring Chan and Jaden Smith.

But Kove has other passions as well; as a lifelong Western aficionado, he's interested in reviving the genre for modern audiences. "Kids today don't have heroes like Eastwood or Wayne," he laments, discussing his upcoming projects, including a comic book and potential series centered on old-school values and morality.

Listen to Martin Cove chat about all this and more in the new episode or watch it on YouTube. Please take the time to like, review, and subscribe to KMW wherever you get your podcasts, and keep up to date with all our series by following the Consequence Podcast Network.

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