How Jacob Bertrand’s ‘Cobra Kai’ Role Inspired Him in Real Life

Jacob Bertrand is best known for his ongoing role as the nerd-turned-bully Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz in Netflix’s hit series, “Cobra Kai.” Back in season 1, Eli was a social outcast, in part due to his noticeable cleft lip. However, when Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) entered the scene, he convinced him and his friend Demetri (Gianni DeCenzo) to join the Cobra Kai dojo. There, as Eli learned karate, he gained confidence in himself, grew a mohawk, and started going by the name “Hawk.”

Cobra Kai corrupted him, however, and he began to turn exactly into the kind of villain which had used to antagonize him. After the release of season 3, Bertrand spoke out about how portraying the complex character affected him in real life, and what he has done to help underprivileged young people who were in a similar position as Eli.

Here’s what you need to know:

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Bertrand Became an Ambassador for a Cleft Lip Nonprofit

Bertrand has starred as Hawk in “Cobra Kai” since its first season in 2018. Although he does not have a cleft lip in real life, the 21-year-old actor told Page Six in April that many young people with disabilities and deformities have actually approached him to express their gratitude for his portrayal of someone with the condition.

Bertrand explained: “A lot of kids reached out to me and were like, ‘Hey, I have a cleft palate and your character really speaks to me. I love how he stands up to his bullies and seems confident’.”

As a result of such fan interactions, Bertrand actually signed on in May as one of the first ever youth celebrity ambassadors to Smile Train, a nonprofit which aims to fund corrective surgeries for children with cleft lips and palates.

According to the Smile Train press release, “Jacob attended a series of interactive virtual learning sessions with Smile Train staff and cleft-affected individuals to learn more about the health implications of cleft and the impact it has on patients.”

Bertrand also participated in Smile Train’s annual Student Ambassador conference, which is a virtual event dedicated to inspiring high school students to support Smile Train’s work. Bertrand told the organization that he had “no idea how severe the impact of a cleft can be, both physically and mentally.”

Bertrand also said that Smile Train “Genuinely care[s] about these people and their happiness,” per Page Six, adding that the organization helped teach him that cleft lip was actually “fairly common.”

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Bertrand & Other ‘Cobra Kai’ Stars Have Advocated Against Bullying

Bertrand also mentioned in the Smile Train press release that learning about the bullying that those with cleft lip often faced really “resonated” with him, given his own experience as a victim of bullying.

“Growing up,” he said, “I was severely bullied and, although my experience is not the same as those born with a cleft, I am very familiar with the negative effects of bullying and the toll it takes on your self-esteem and confidence. This is why, among other reasons, I am thrilled to join Smile Train as an ambassador.”

Bertrand is not the only “Cobra Kai” or “Karate Kid” actor to weigh in on bullying, which is obviously a highly prevalent theme of the show. Peyton List, perhaps the most famous young actor of the show, has been open about how she was bullied herself, especially as a longtime child actress. William Zabka, who played “The Karate Kid’s” chief bully Johnny Lawrence back in 1984, has very often used his platform to speak out against bullying, mentioning in a 2011 GQ interview that, unlike the characters he portrayed, he was “not at all” a bully himself when he was young.

Martin Kove, who portrays Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese, perhaps the biggest bully of them all, even became a spokesman for werekickinit.org, a non-profit which advocated against bullying.

Unlike his character, Kove is no bully himself. He said of himself, “This sensei says, ‘Show mercy’.”

Season 4 of “Cobra Kai” will be released on Netflix December 31.

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