Cobra Kai on Netflix: Is Thomas Ian Griffith (Terry Silver) really a black belt?

We know this: Not all of the cast members of Cobra Kai, the series that follows the Karate Kid trilogy, are karate practitioners in real life. If at least some of the interpreters of the program trained in martial arts (one of them even won his black belt!), how about Thomas Ian Griffith, Terry Silver, the villain of Karate Kid 3 and the new main villain of the Cobra Kai series?

At 60, the latter appears in Olympian form in this fifth season, doing most of his fight scenes himself (where Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, interpreters for Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, respectively, use the liners). And for good reason, as Thomas Ian Griffith is a long-time follower of martial arts, especially karate, but also taekwondo.

As a guest on American podcast Cobra Kai Kompanion, the American actor revealed how he developed this early passion for martial arts: “I started fighting very young. I went to a Kenpo school (the ancestral martial art from which karate is inspired, editor’s note) which allowed me to stay away from the bullshit. Then I met a kid who was practicing taekwondo. I saw him do this incredible kick and asked him to show me , how could I do the same.”

In 1989, after some experience in television, Thomas Ian Griffiths was asked by casting director Caro Jones. “If he knows anything about karate”. Director John Avildsen invited him to write an essay with Ralph Macchio, he accepted the role without hesitation, especially since, unlike other actors who auditioned for the role, he did not have to lie about his knowledge of martial arts.

His level also impressed the filmmaker so much that he decided to rewrite the script of Karate Kid 3 to give more scenes to Terry Silver. “In the original version of the script, there weren’t many karate scenes with Terry. Then all of a sudden I’m doing a cat and I’m breaking wooden planks. It was fantastic!”

After an absence of over twenty years, Terry Silver made a sensational return in the fourth season of Cobra Kai, at the end of which the character was introduced as the series’ new main villain following the arrest of his accomplice John Creecy (Martin Covey). ), the other co-founder of the Cobra Kai Dojo!

The fifth season of Cobra Kai is now available exclusively on Netflix!