Check out her exclusive interview to the Entretetizei team
35 years after Karate Kid 2 was released, the franchise fans were gifted, in the third season of Cobra Kai, with the reencounter of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita). Just like the other special appearances on the show, having them back together on screen led to many reflexions on life, love and time. And it was about one of the most awaited reencounters on the TV series that the Entretetizei team spoke about to the magnificent Tamlyn Tomita: actress that gave life to the character of japanese roots.
Success between the audience and the critics, Cobra Kai is a spin-off of the Karate Kid franchise that follows Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso three decades after the events of the first movie. Already grownups and with children, they see themselves facing chapters from their past that they still haven’t figured out and, mostly, face to face with the difficult mission of becoming their own senseis in the search for balance. The production has already been nominated twice for the Emmys and, trust us, it’s worthy of its recognition.
Bridge between the past and the present, Cobra Kai frequently brings back iconic characters from the Karate Kid franchise. It happened on the first season, with John Kreese (Martin Kove); on the second, with Johnny’s highschool friends return; and on the third with the comeback of Ali, Kumiko and Chozen. Moving and highly expected, Kumiko’s return represented Daniel getting back to Okinawa, to his inner peace, roots and Mr. Miyagi’s lessons.
Check out below our inspiring conversation with the actress Tamlyn Tomita: leading actress of one of the most beautiful and exciting moments on Cobra Kai so far.
So first of all I would like to know how long it had been since the last time you saw your co-stars from Karate Kid 2. You worked with Yuji (Chozen) in Awesome Asian Bad Guys. Now what about Ralph Macchio and Traci Toguchi, who played Yuna in the movie? Had it been a while? How did it feel like to reunite with them?
Traci is from Hawaii and I think the last time I saw her was maybe five years ago at the Hawaii Film Festival. She and I always try to get in touch. I have her phone number in my phone. We text and if she is in LA or if I go to Hawaii to visit we always try to make time to at least say hello. But Ralph and I, I think the last time we saw each other, before filming Cobra Kai, was maybe 2017, right before John Avildsen, the director for Karate Kid and Karate Kid 2 had a film festival here in Santa Barbara. It was a retrospective of his films. If not, my memories are getting together because we have to remember that there was a 30 year anniversary of Karate Kid four years ago. They had a little screening. We don’t get to see each other very often but the heart is always there. It’s unbelievable that 35 years have passed by but it’s always a joy. We catch up and there’s never enough time but there’s always the love there.
I went through some of your recent interviews and was surprised to hear that your scenes with Ralph weren’t shot in Japan but in Georgia. And in the episode in which Daniel goes back to Okinawa he talks about how surprised he was with how much things had changed so I would like you to tell me the opposite: what about Okinawa remains the same from 35 years ago. It can be about its people, its traditions. What keeps Okinawa’s essence alive?
Okinawa is the Hawaii of America. Japan is this big, long country. Okinawa is this tiny island. Very special, tropical, sunny. The people have love in their hearts. It’s all about finding the relationship with yourself, with your family and your community. That’s how it has always been there. Ikigai. Okinawa practices that. It’s the unification between yourself, your work and your community and there should be a perfect balance of those three worlds of yours. We are always discussing the differences between the city and the urban environment, but also the joy and the treasure of the country, of the simpler life. And I think Okinawa has retained that since 35 years ago. It does have Starbucks, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken but we are trying to get the best of both worlds and that’s what happens in every country as we try to progress. We try to keep what is vital, what brings life. I’m proud to say the last time I visited Okinawa it still remains the same. My family is still there. They love the convenience of Starbucks but they will sit at home and prepare ocha, the tea.
You spoke about your family living in Okinawa. I was very happy to hear that with Cobra Kai you were able to give the audience a more accurate representation of the japanese culture, even through the slightest details, such as the dance moves and did you actually go back to Okinawa to learn those moves? What were the highlights of the experience?
The three amigos, who are the writers behind the show, Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossbergd, are best friends since grade school. They became writers in Hollywood and since they love the Karate Kid world, they are able to make the tv series so complete. When they asked me to come into Cobra Kai, two years ago, I looked at the script and went: please, guys, I need to be able to bring a more authentic, real picture of Okinawa so can I have the permission to add Okinawan words, not just japanese ones? They said yes and I went to the Okinawan Association in America, here in Los Angeles, and asked for help. They gave me the music, the dance moves, which is different from japanese dance, a few words in Okinawan, so I was able to use those. I was also able to bring to set my mom’s kimono, little props and decoration. I knew I had that kind of responsibility to bring as much as Okinawa to Georgia, where we were shooting.
The episode in which Daniel reunites with Kumiko was one of the most beautiful and emotional ones on the show so far because it represented him getting back to his roots and to all the life lessons that Mr. Miyagi taught him. In some way, it was the same that Kumiko did after travelling the world as a dancer since she came back home. So what is the lesson on belonging that you think that the franchise has to spread?
It’s about belonging, it’s about family and it’s about balance. I think that’s what Mr. Miyagi said in the original Karate Kid movies. Your whole life is about balance. It’s about a balance between what you want as an individual but also the umbilical cord to our family and the importance of love and connection. It’s about the new generation going back to learn about what the old generation has to teach you and I think that’s what speaks to us. Even if we are in our 20s and we feel like we know the world, there’s still a world of experiences that we don’t know yet and it’s the elders that can probably teach us a lesson too and I think that’s what going back to Karate Kid so often. And I credit Ralph Macchio for that. That’s why it didn’t happen until 35 years ago that he said yes to a sequel. He was the one who demanded that he isn’t going to do anything Karate Kid related without the spirit of Mr. Miyagi, without the spirit of Okinawa, without the connection to balance. And that balance is never steady, it will always go in waves but as long as you learn how to ride the waves that’s okay. It’s the kind of balance that I find in Okinawa’s culture because it went through so much depression and poverty after the war. Also in karate, knowing the founders didn’t have weapons. They only used their hands to defend, protect and fight against evil to the life of balance and good.
I feel like we were all very touched to hear that Kumiko never got married. And going through several comments online I saw that many fans still have hope for them ending together. As for me, Daniel and Kumiko reminded me of Akai Ito, the japanese legend of fate that says that no matter how much time passes by or how far they are from each other, they will still be connected by a red string. Do you also agree with that?
If we are really honest with ourselves, everyone remembers their first love. You’ll always have that and I think that’s the gift we have as human beings. We have imagination. We have dreams. We have desires. And we can think about those stories in our heads and gain that kind of satisfaction. We can dream, we can write down these things, we can make a movie, we can shoot a TV series 35 years later. That’s the power of stories and the legend you mentioned is speaking to the truth about the different kinds of love there is in the world. I think we all have strings in our lives. It’s the one we decide to put the ring on. It’s the one we need to keep committed to and do the hard work. That’s what it is about marriage if we are lucky enough to find the love for the rest of our lives.
And do you feel like Kumiko had the closure that she needed when she reencountered with Daniel? Because it was something that I feel like both of them needed. They wondered how each other had been after that long. Do you think that she was able to say all that she wanted or some things are better left unsaid?
Of course! Sometimes it’s better to live in your imagination and in what could have been, right? It’s the gift of Kumiko seeing Daniel San, so unexpected. That’s a gift that is not asked for. It’s not a Christmas gift, it’s not a birthday gift. It was a gift that came out of the sky, much like the first time Kumiko and Danielsan met together. To have those two gifts in life, which is the same gift but after 35 years, is like: who gets that? And to be filled with that kind of joy and that kind of treasure. You can’t put that in a box. That doesn’t belong on your shelf. You don’t wear it as a piece of jewelry. It lives and breathes in your heart and how you communicate it and tell it, luckily for the story of Cobra Kai and I’m just so happy that people got that and really appreciated it.
And I have a doubt. In the scene of Mr. Miyagi’s letters, do you read the letters before shooting or do you have your first read while shooting so that there is more emotion? Is there a pattern?
The letters were written in Japanese. I don’t read Japanese so I had to memorize the letter. And this is a technical thing. When reading a letter for TV if you read a real, true letter, the audience becomes very uninterested. I had to memorize it and play it as if I was reading it for the first time. Kumiko’s choice was to let Daniel San take in everything that she is reading as if she is reading it for the first time so they can share that moment together. That’s like hearing, if you believe in spirits, the spirit of Mr. Miyagi is coming through Kumiko to tell Danielsan how much he loves him and to be that road was really special so I knew I had to take the time to read the letter. And my fight as Tamlyn was to not be so emotional because Ralph Macchio and Tamlyn Tomita miss Pat Morita so much but Kumiko and Danielsan also miss Mr. Miyagi so much so there is double amount of feelings. To get the future voice of Mr. Miyagi was through those letters and through the emotion that Kumiko/Tamlyn was getting Danielsan/Ralph and that was the beauty of it. It was our responsibility in telling that story as honestly as possible.
In Kumiko’s final scene with Daniel she is very wise herself when she says that what you put into the world will eventually come back. Are there any other inspiring quotes from the Okinawan dialect that you could share with me?
It’s about finding joy in life because there is always tomorrow. Again, this is history. Okinawa suffered a lot of tragedy in World War Two and to know that they survived with so much joy because of community. It’s about holding hands together in prayer, in work, in friendship. It’s about finding people who are there with you and it’s about finding that joy. Doing the work and fixing something or giving something and that giving and that receiving brings joy. My aunties are always trying to find that piece of joy in every little thing. The idea that joy can be found in every single small moment is as meaningful as the big moments. I know it’s not a really formal saying but it’s the practice.
Last but not least I would like to know what you have learned from Kumiko 35 years ago and now because she is also a part of you and you a different person since you started portraying her.
That we are all connected. I think that’s what Kumiko was trying to say. We are all connected and we can’t control the times that we meet each other again but we will meet each other again. I really believe that she was that kind of person who travelled around and said: these are wonderful connections I’m making and I’ll see you again. I think that was a part of her joyfulness but also her wisdom. We are really all together but we can’t control the time.
Check out the original audio of the interview below:
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*Crédito da foto de destaque: Reprodução/Internet