Karate Kid Star Says Elisabeth Shue Actually Hit Him During a Scene

Getty Elisabeth Shue strikes a pose in a black dress at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.

In the 1984 martial arts film The Karate Kid, Johnny Lawrence (William “Billy” Zabka) attempts to win back his ex-girlfriend Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue). However, she is interested in Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). When the former couple dances at the Encino Oaks Country Club, Johnny notices that the New Jersey native is watching them from the kitchen and forcefully kisses Ali. In response, Ali shoves him and says, “don’t you ever do that to me again.” 

She then sees that Daniel has fallen over, causing the entire country club to erupt in laughter. Ali proceeds to slap Johnny before storming off. 

William Zabka Revealed That Elisabeth Shue Was Actually Hitting Him

YouTubeElisabeth Shue and William Zabka star in ‘The Karate Kid.’

According to William Zabka, Shue was actually hitting him during that scene. In a 2014 panel celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Karate Kid, he revealed that “every time in the country club scene she connected with me every time for real.”

“For all the feet flying in my face the whole movie it was Elisabeth Shue who connected every single time and couldn’t pull her punch for sure. I think she did it on purpose. She had two brothers. She was a soccer player. She’s a tom boy and I think she just really wanted to do it so. She’s a sweetheart though,” said Zabka. 

During the interview, Ralph Macchio also discussed having Shue as his co-star. He revealed that they were first introduced during the audition process. 

“I did the LaRusso audition but Elisabeth Shue was the first Ali I read with I believe to my memory and we just hit it off right away… She was wonderful, you know, what can I say,” said the actor.  

Shue Recently Discussed Playing Ali in ‘Cobra Kai’

YouTubeAli (Elisabeth Shue) and Johnny (William Zabka) say goodbye in Season 3, Episode 10.

As fans are aware, Shue recently played Ali again during the third season of the acclaimed series Cobra Kai. During Season 3, Episode 9, she spends the day with Johnny after a brief Facebook correspondence. After the former couple goes to a restaurant, they head over to Golf N’ Stuff. While they are at the popular date spot, they play arcade games, and Ali wins a stuffed hippo. Later in the evening, Ali and Johnny almost share a kiss before she gets distracted by a notification on her phone.

In a January interview with Entertainment Weekly, Shue discussed shooting the scene for Cobra Kai. She told the publication: 

I remember feeling so competitive, especially playing air hockey. So I’m hoping that they dramatize the fact that I did beat him. And then Billy just reminded me that I have a stuffed animal that I sort of pushed into his face in a way that was a little aggressive, just to keep our physical relationship alive. It was so, so much fun to revisit [Ali] as an adult, and to reconnect to Ralph and Billy and their adult personas. I just couldn’t get over how we hadn’t changed at all, and yet we had changed — but I would say for the better.

She also revealed that she wished her character had kissed Johnny 

“But yeah, I would have been up for a kiss. Are you kidding me? I’m bummed! They could have had a kiss!” said the actress. 

She stated, however, that she understood the writers “want[ed] Johnny to feel that he could go back to his relationship [with Carmen], which meant so much to him, without feeling that he had anything to feel conflicted about.” 

To see more of Shue, Zabka, and Macchio, be sure to watch Cobra Kai Season 3, available on Netflix. 

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