Brian Takahashi on Bringing Young Miyagi to Life in 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 Part 2

[00:00:10] Brian, thank you for joining me today on Pop Culture Unplugged. Thanks for having me. Excited as our friend. We have Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 2 that's out now. Part 3 comes out in a few weeks. I can't wait till we jump into the whole Young Miyagi thing. I'm sure it was a very exciting time for you.

[00:00:27] Yes, definitely. It kind of came very quickly. The audition came. Initially, the audition wasn't for Young Miyagi. It was kind of a no-name character, new character.

[00:00:49] And, you know, the odd thing is when you do get an audition from Cobra Kai, it doesn't come Cobra Kai. It comes with a code name. It's called The Arborist. So this one came Cobra Kai, which was kind of like, well, that's weird, you know, but I was like, okay, that's cool.

[00:01:08] So, but the role was, yeah, it was like a Japanese, I guess, sensei or some sort of, like, coach at a tournament. And it wasn't even, like, Sekai Taite, which is a tournament. And then, you know, Daniel hears him teaching one of his pupils. And he's like, am I looking around? And he says, who is that? He sees the character, a guy auditioning comes out.

[00:01:37] He says, you remind me so much of my old sensei, you know, that they talk. And then there's a little bit of, like, Miyagi-isms in there. So if you're looking at it and you're familiar with, like, Friday Kid, you're like, okay, I could see what they're doing. They're doing, like, a Miyagi-esque character. But it wasn't him. So he sent that in. And that was, man, I want to say either at the end of March or the beginning of April.

[00:02:09] And it was pretty far ahead of, like, when to actually shoot dates. When you get auditions, you get outside dates. And it was pretty far. So I was like, okay. And then I remember that because right after that, my wife and I, we got COVID for the first time. So, yeah. And so it must have been kind of coming. She already was feeling a little sick. And I was okay.

[00:02:35] But then later on, I think I would say, like, a night after that, I sent an audition. I started feeling sick. So I was like, man. And so I was hoping that they weren't going to call anytime soon because I was like, I was out of commission. And then they, you know, it was like a week before the outside, the first outside date. And I was like, oh, I probably didn't get it. Which I was like, that sucks. You know, then I felt like this would be a really good role.

[00:03:01] And then, like, a couple days before the outside date, I get this email from my agent. They're like, oh, you booked it. I'm like, great. But it wasn't like, oh, you, you know, they just said you booked it. So it wasn't like, oh, you got Mr. Miyagi. I was like, awesome. Oh, cool. And then, let me say, like, maybe a couple days after that, it was just like, oh, just to confirm, this is not for the role of whatever you audition for. This is actually young Mr. Miyagi.

[00:03:31] And that's when I was like, whoa, okay. So they're not even doing like, oh, this is like a character that's kind of like, if you're actually, this is going to be him. But there was no script. There was nothing attached. I had no idea what I was doing. I just assumed it was similar to the audition. But, you know, the actual scene was just made up and had nothing to do with the show. So, yeah.

[00:03:54] And it really didn't, like, even like right now, I'm still kind of like, not in shock, but it's still very surreal. That people associate me with such an iconic character. But, yeah. It was incredible news. I mean, that's like an understatement. But the fans loved it. The reaction has been great, Anu. That's great. And that's the only thing, really, that was like the biggest scare.

[00:04:24] You know, anything that was like, oh, my God. Like, you know, you're looking at this mountain. You're like, okay, you're playing Miyagi. You know, and obviously, you know, this is Pat Morita's character. Like, he made Mr. Miyagi. Like, literally, he made Mr. Miyagi. Because if it wasn't for him, you know, he probably would have just been like a very one-dimensional character. You know, typical wise Asian man.

[00:04:50] But he really gave the Miyagi character depth, you know, backstory. So, to step into that role is, yeah. It was like, oh, my God. And at the same time, it's like, what are the audience, you know, what's the fan base going to get? Because I'm also a fan of this former guy, too. So, I was putting myself in those shoes and be like, if I were to walk out on screen, what would I have to do? The people weren't going to be like, what the heck is that? Like, who's that guy? A lot of pressure. A lot of pressure.

[00:05:19] Very much so. Yes, yes, yes. So, were you a big fan of, like, the Karate Kid movies, like, even before joining the series? And you said you watched the series also. I think everybody loves it. I don't think I've met anybody that doesn't like the Karate Kid. Exactly. You know, the only one I haven't seen, I mean, prior to booking the role, was the next Karate Kid. I just couldn't find it. I couldn't get it. And all the socials, I mean, the streaming sites didn't have it at the time. But I did watch everything.

[00:05:50] It's funny, because when I was younger, I actually met Pat first. Okay. Before I saw, you know, the Karate Kid. You know, my mom used to work in downtown LA, Tokyo. So, everybody sort of knew everybody down there. So, I met a lot of these Japanese American actors who I didn't know were actors. I was, like, five or something. And I met Pat Morita. I met Mark Mako. I met all the other people.

[00:06:19] And I just figured they were my mom's friends. Like, you know, those are my people my mom knew. And then when I watched the Karate Kid, I was looking. I was like, that guy looks like Pat. My mom's like, that is Pat. I'm like, that's not Pat. He doesn't talk like that. He sounds completely different. He's like, no, that's Pat. He's an actor. And I was like, what? And I'm like, so that's him? And I'm like, yeah. So, it was like this weird, you know, thing. And then finally, I'm like, oh, I get it. All right. He's playing a character. But, yeah.

[00:06:47] You know, Karate Kid was a big part of growing up. I mean, just being Japanese American. And especially wanting to be in this industry. There wasn't a lot of characters you couldn't really look up to and be like, yeah. I can look up to them. I can be me. I mean, even though he was a much older character, you know, he, I believe he was like the very first one that really broke out and became very iconic. And it wasn't a stereotype.

[00:07:16] I mean, he kind of was, but in a good way where like there was still more to him than just like I am white. I am, you know. They gave him everything that, you know, any Japanese and Japanese American person could be, right? He knows martial arts. He fishes. He's also a gardener and all that kind of stuff. But, you know, because of Pat's great performance, all of that made sense. All that fit. You know, it wasn't just like cliche.

[00:07:46] So, yeah. So, yeah. Big fan of The Karate Kid. Big fan of Cobra Kai since the beginning when it was on YouTube Red. Yeah. And it's just surreal to be part of this, you know, this world. Do you have a favorite character in the movies or in the series? Oh, yeah. Other than the young Miyagi. Yeah. In the movies, obviously, to me, it's Mr. Miyagi. I mean, because he's just cool, you know.

[00:08:13] Like, not only is he someone that is, you know, looks like he can solve all your problems. He just seems like a really cool guy. He's really down to earth. He's funny. You know, he knows how to protect people he cares about. In the show, it's awesome. I mean, who doesn't like Daniel? But, like, I think really, you know, Johnny, like William Zaka's character really just makes that show.

[00:08:42] If it wasn't for his character and the way they created him, the way they wrote him. You know, because he's like the, you know, the funny guy to the straight guy, right? Yeah. He's like Daniel's funny guy. So, and it comes so naturally, you know. Like, Billy has such a, I don't know, it's like a natural way of delivering the line. It doesn't seem forced. He knows that character very well.

[00:09:08] And then just his arc from season one to season six of, like, how he's growing and all this stuff like that. It really works. So, yeah, Johnny's one of the top ones. But all those characters are great. Right, right. Yeah, all those guys are awesome. I guess the second one would be Tori. I like Tori's character. So do I. Yeah, she just seems like, I mean, everything bad happens to her. You know, like, she never could catch a break.

[00:09:36] But I think because I'm an actor, I enjoy those type of characters, like the struggle. Yet she still perseveres. You know, I honestly think out of everybody there from the young cast, if anyone were to become like a Miyagi at the end, it would be her. Because she knows pain. She knows trauma. But yet she still is able to persevere. So she can learn from that and hopefully teach someone younger than her, you know, later on in her life.

[00:10:06] So you booked this role of a young Miyagi. How do you, like, mentally prepare to play this role? And, like, how often did you go back to watch the originals or just, like, highlights of Pat? Yes. I mean, I immediately went back and watched everything. And just to be like, okay, I need to get these stuff. You know, growing up in Japanese American and Asian American, me and my friends, we all did the Miyagi voice, right? It's just, you just know how to do it.

[00:10:32] But there's a difference between doing it for your friends and doing it for fun. And then you're like, okay, I actually got to do this now. So, you know, I went back and I watched, you know, everything I could get my hands on just to see the mannerism, just the way he, you know, the cadence, the way he nounciates things. It's not a Japanese accent. I think most people who know how to do it, they know that it's not a Japanese accent.

[00:10:56] Even in the audition, after I got the tape and everything, you know, it's filming it, I got a note from the producer saying, like, please don't do a Japanese accent. It has to be very specific Miyagi accent. So that note came and I'm sure it went on to everybody. But in my mind, I was like, if you don't know what a Miyagi accent is, you probably shouldn't be auditioning for this role. Because, like, it's very specific, you know. And so that's the first thing I went, just like, okay, I got to get that down.

[00:11:26] And of course, there's, like, very iconic scene where he's actually showing Daniel, like, all the stuff he's doing was, like, you know, meant for the karate training. So it's like, you know, show me Sandofroa, you know. And it's like that cadence of, like, instead of, like, show me Sandofroa, you know, it's not, there's a very specific way of he saying it, you know. And his things were, like, when Daniel, like, actually, like, tries to go down the ground. He's like, I got that, that, that, that, that. And they tell me, all that kind of stuff. I was like, okay, I got to absorb all that, you know.

[00:11:56] Because I have no idea what I'm actually going to be saying. I didn't have a script yet and nothing. So when all that came, when the scene and everything came, I was like, okay, there's, actually, all the lines I was saying was in Japanese. Everything was in Japanese, except for the very last line where the CG of Pat came up. That was in English. So I was like, okay, so I'm not actually going to be able to do any of the stuff that I was, like, learning. Because it's all in Japanese.

[00:12:24] Because even if you try to do that in Japanese, it's, the cadence and all that stuff is going to be gone. Because he's actually speaking in his native tongue. It's going to be very fluid. So I really worked on the very end where he's, like, you know, talking to Daniel and it's Mr. Miyagi's face. But again, at the same time, I didn't know what they were going to do. It's all just in the lines and just in the stage directions of what might be happening. So it only became English on the day of. Like, I was doing everything in Japanese.

[00:12:53] And then off the side, I think one of the directors was like, hey, can we get an English line? And I was like, sure. Let's do an English line. So I guess that's the one they ended up using. But mentally, it was just that. It was just trying to get the essence of Mr. Miyagi. Because, you know, I wasn't trying to do a duplication or a mimic of Pat's performance. Like, you can't do that. You know, that's that.

[00:13:22] That's in its own right. You know, that's something that can never be copied. So it's just taking that and, you know, paying homage to it and be like, okay, now what am I going to bring to the table? Right. What's the components of Miyagi that we haven't seen before that I can actually show in this, you know, two minutes scene when it's my turn to be at the bat. Awesome.

[00:13:51] What about like his backstory now that we get to see the younger version of him, like through the clips and everything like for you as an actor, like do you get excited when you're about to jump into those scenes? Oh, yeah, definitely. Definitely. I mean, going into it, I saw all that stuff, you know, and see in part one, you know, after I shot everything. Yeah. So I was like, oh, interesting. Because like they didn't have any of that backstory for me. Like nothing. It was just that one episode.

[00:14:22] And that's it, you know, so I'm going into it. Like they had me take a picture of a passport. Like, you know, so that was the only thing I was like, okay, there's gonna be a passport. But for me, you know, because I, you know, I not only know, you know, the story of, you know, the crying to kid. And I know we're a lot of people who have gone through the things that Mr. Miyagi supposedly went through, you know. I know people who went through camp.

[00:14:51] I know people who were in 442nd. I know people whose stories, you know, aren't told after the war and how much struggle and racism and all that stuff they faced. So just knowing that, it just gave me a lot of backstory to, you know, kind of get into the mindset of this character. Even though this version of Mr. Miyagi, you know, I want to make it absolutely clear. And I think it's brilliant the way the writers did it. It's a dream.

[00:15:20] So if you really look at it canonically, this is not what Mr. Miyagi was. Like you have, this is just Daniel's interpretation of what he is. I remember sitting in the, this is just a little tangent, but sitting in the makeup chair with the hair stylist. And at the time when I was in Atlanta, I had long hair. You kind of had this long, kind of like beyond, yes, kind of long hair. And the stylist was like, that's perfect. That's, you know, we're just going to leave it like that. It's like, okay, cool.

[00:15:50] And then later on, you know, right before the shoot, they're like, no, you got to cut your hair. They change your mind and cut your hair. And he was saying, he's like, you know, I don't, I just, I don't think he would have hair like that. Like the stylist. And I was like, you know, it's probably right. Cause he kind of came after war. Maybe his hair would maybe be a little longer or it might be even shorter. Cause like, you know, he's coming after war, but he's like, this is what they want. So we're going to do it. So they gave me this 1940 style haircut. Very nice. And it was actually great because I was like, I got a free haircut. I was going to get a haircut anyway.

[00:16:20] So, but then looking at the scene, I was like, you know what, this makes a lot of sense because this is Daniel's dream. So he's never seen Mr. Miyagi without any picture is as far as I know, like, I don't think he's seen, you know, the, the Julie Pierce, you know, photo of him, you know, like all that stuff. And he's probably seen people in, you know, the 1940s or 1950s pictures and having this hairstyle, you know, even the location is just his fabrication of it.

[00:16:48] It probably wasn't even that, you know, we don't actually know what all that stuff looked like because it's all through Daniel. So that gave me a lot more creativity and a lot more freedom to really portray this character knowing that, okay, this is a dream. Coming in, you know, there's only three lines, right? So you have to make everything, every single thing count. So that's what it was. I was like, okay, you know, what's the whole purpose of this dream?

[00:17:16] And then to me, it was like, okay, his mind is telling me, you gotta, you know, you gotta wake up, man. You're floundering. And I don't know any of the story prior to it. I'm just assuming that he's in like some really bad state and he's not focusing. You know, he's, he's probably, you know, putting people in that he cares for, you know, at jeopardy. So of course, this is why he's in the street. Mr. Miyagi has to come back in and teach him another lesson.

[00:17:44] But, you know, unfortunately for Daniel, he doesn't learn lessons through just talking. He needs to have it like pounded into him. He does watch every single Friday Kid movie. He learns a lesson by getting into fights. It's like, oh, it's perfect. And he's fighting his mentor. He's asking him, I don't get the lesson. What are you trying to teach me? And he's like, that's the point. You're not getting it. You know, you gotta wake up. So I was like, okay, then that gives me carte blanche to be, you know, not mean, but kind of, kind of ruthless in the scene to be like, this is what he needs, you know?

[00:18:14] And of course, you can't really change the scene anyway. You know, the course of itself. But it would have been weird if I was kind of like nice to him while I was saying, it's like, no, this is just like, you know, this Miyagi, you know, does not like this guy, you know? And at the same time, you know, the lines are there because it's his own psyche being like, dude, like, I don't know what you're doing, but you got to wake up. You got to shake yourself out of this. So yeah. You know, like all that kind of stuff.

[00:18:42] It's just, you prepare as best as you can and then you just let it all go. And then when you're on the set, you just kind of do what you're doing. For you now, what do you think was like the biggest challenge now with this? Honestly, the challenge was what you brought up in the beginning where it's just how these, how the fan base was going to react. You know, like, I mean, you're given the best opportunity with the set, right? You got everybody there.

[00:19:10] I mean, I'm in the scene with Ralph Macchio. Like that's like, that in itself is like awesome, right? You can't, you know, can't do anything better than that. But, you know, it's, it's really just a kind of a crapshoot. Like you could do all that stuff, you know, you put it out there, but it's really how the audience is going to take it. So, you know, I kind of got a little inkling because I was talking to another person who was doing the interview too.

[00:19:37] And he's like, so you think like when they're watching you, it was like kind of a second audition for something else. I was like, yeah, most likely because they've, you know, they're putting their trust into me. Um, right. And then just a little, another little backstory. Like I was supposed to be in Atlanta two for two weeks. That was my, you know, my, my outside days. And I'm assuming it's because they needed the time to, uh, you know, get me up to speed or just like learn the choreography, all that stuff.

[00:20:05] Unfortunately, I didn't have those two weeks. I had a conflict and I try to get out of it. I was like trying to get out the other project. And then they're like, no, we can't. So, you know, I was actually like, man, I might not get this anymore. Cause like, they might be like, oh, I will get to go with someone else. Cause you can't make it. And I was like, damn. So it's, it's always like my luck. I always have something. Of course, something else comes in and I'm like, God damn it. Uh, but you know, luck was on my side and they were like, you know what? We can, we can move up your, um, or not move up.

[00:20:34] We can, uh, delay your, your flying date, but you're only going to have two, uh, two days to learn everything. Can you do it? And I was like, yeah, sure. And I'm like, of course I can. I'm like, well, and that literally was just two days. So coming in, you know, I, I flew into Atlanta on Monday. I went, went from the airport to the set. I went straight to the stunt dojo and I was like, Hey, you know, met Dom.

[00:21:01] And I was like, Hey, I know I'm early, but do you guys have any sort of like previs or anything with the fight? And they're like, no, we don't. And I was like, Oh, okay. He's like, yeah, dude, we have so many fights. And then they were right in the middle of, I think, choreographing that big ball. The big ball. Yeah. Yeah. So I was like, I didn't know that, but I was like, okay. And they're like, yeah, we were, we're so swamp man. And I'd be like, we didn't even expect to see you today. And you're supposed to come here tomorrow. So like, don't worry, tomorrow we'll have everything.

[00:21:26] So they did everything to, um, I guess in that day they came back, learned the choreography and I just worked it and my arms and everything were all preached up. Um, so just keeping that in mind, right. I'm walking into set. They're like, this guy was supposed to be here for two weeks. He's only had two days. You know, I hope we got the right guy. I hope, you know, we're not just wasting our time. Right. So there's coming in, there's like this tension, right? Everyone's kind of like, okay. All right. That's the guy. All right.

[00:21:56] Let's see what he got. Um, but the biggest, I guess, relief I got was I got, and it was a very dark set. So I don't actually know who was in there. I was really only talking to Ralph because he was just right next to me the whole time. But he had to, he turned to me and he was like, he's like, I gotta tell you, man. He's like, this scene, you, you give me goosebumps. Like when I'm listening to you, when I'm in, it feels like Pat, it feels like I'm back with and I was like, wow, like really?

[00:22:26] He was like, you got his voice down. You got his spirit down. He's like, I don't know how you did it, but like, it's, it's great. And that was like, okay, well, at least one executive producer and also Ralph, not just signing off on. And then again, you know, he could just be being really nice to me. I don't know, but, um, I can tell in his performance too, that I'm hoping that because he felt that way, he was able to, you know, you know, he's an executive producer, right? He has all these things on his mind.

[00:22:53] Cause even, you know, before we shot it, he was like, you know, say, oh, what's the next thing going to be? Okay. I got to go change into that. I got to go do this. Was that taken care of? And he's a boss, right? But to be able to put that aside and just be Daniel in that scene, you know, I was, I'm hoping that I helped them with, because he was able to relate. There's actually a couple of takes where, when he's talking to me, he's crying. You know, uh, I think I read that somewhere. Yeah. He started to tear up, you know, and he's like, and then I was like, oh wow. You know, of course.

[00:23:23] And me, I'm like geeking out, but I'm, I'm still in the character, but they, I obviously didn't use those, they didn't use those takes. Uh, but yeah, he was like tearing up and you know, that's just having Ralph be a great actor. Uh, the second one was like, I got a message from the AD saying that, um, Billy or William Zach was watching. It's like, I guess he's, he goes, I want you to tell him, I guess we got the right guy. Cause he did a great job. So I was like, awesome. You know? So we got William, man. So, you know, that's the biggest thing. And I was like, those guys liked it.

[00:23:53] Okay. Next step with the fans like it. And you know, it's just, yeah, the fans have been great. And, uh, I would say for the most part, it's been a very positive response to the portrayal. So, yeah. Thank you guys. That's amazing. I know that the fans loved it. Now the big question is all they're talking about all these like prequels and spinoffs. Would you jump back? Would you jump on that? If they tell you, Hey, let's do this. Oh, of course. Yeah. Has there been any talks or anything? Could you tease anything? No, there's nothing.

[00:24:23] Honestly, it's just exactly what everyone else has seen. I've been reading the article. I've been reading all this. So the only thing that I got, and I get, this is just, you know, you know, rumors on the crew is like the tension in the room I was doing, it was there apparently. Because afterwards, one of the stunt people came up to me. It was like, you did such a great job. You did awesome. He's like, it was, it was good because, you know, there's talk about possibly a prequel.

[00:24:51] And that wouldn't have been a reality if you didn't do a good job here. And all of a sudden they were like, you did great. So there could be a one. So that was the only thing that I heard. I was like, okay, great. So that means that everyone is happy that there's a, you know, it was a green light on that one, you know, to be like, okay, so he could possibly do this if we wanted to. But there has been no, like, no one's reached out to me. No one's talked to me. It's just everything that like, you know, articles and things like that. And I'm with the fan base. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[00:25:20] That's something that happened. The only thing I would say is if we're going to do a Mr. Miyagi story, right? It has to be done right. Because it's a very, it's a very specific story to a very specific group of people, which is the Japanese Americans. And that experience, you know, just to say, you know, just to be completely honest, there has not been a lot of like mainstream stories for that experience.

[00:25:50] You know, we have a couple of them, but nothing, nothing to this, you know, this major, you know, story coming out that the character Mr. Miyagi reaches so many people that it would be such a great vehicle to tell these stories. Even people who have no idea what, you know, Interment Camp or Manzanar or 442nd, if they have no idea what that is, they'll still watch it because it's Mr. Miyagi, right? And then to give those people this story and be like, oh my God, I didn't know this happened.

[00:26:19] You know, I am a second generation Japanese American. My parents came from Japan after the war. So I personally don't have family members that went through camp or, but I know a lot of people who I call family, friends, you know, close people to me that have been through that. And they tell you these stories because you're part of a family, right? They don't just like tell the story. And of course, there's people who now share their story because they want other people to know.

[00:26:45] But, you know, it has to be in that vein, like it has to be, you know, and unfortunately, it's probably going to be a very sad story. I don't think it's going to have a happy ending because if you look at the whole story as it is like a big, big picture kind of sense, the happy ending comes in Karate Kid 2, not Karate Kid 1, Karate Kid 2, when he actually that relationship. Yeah. With Daniel, Mr. Miyagi's father passes away and he had that scene in the beach and he's like, he's like, okay. Yeah.

[00:27:15] You know, this not only is he my friend, like, you know, I could see him as like my legacy, my son, if you want to call him that. So the story prior to that, yeah, there's not going to be any sort of like happy ending. It might be like a, like a plateau of like hope. Yeah. And then you, you know, like, okay, that's going to lead to the movies in the 80s. So like, you know where that's going. It's very kind of like similar to like Star Wars in a way, but in a flip version, like

[00:27:41] the other interview I had, we're kind of talking about how that's like Anakin's way, but it was like a flip. That's an interesting thing. Yeah. Yeah. We know he becomes Darth Vader or something like that, but this time we'd like, we know he becomes the Mr. Miyagi. We all love him, you know, and recognize. So it's like, okay, there's, there's kind of a happy ending to that, but at the story itself is probably going to be pretty, pretty sad, you know? So I'll definitely do it. Yeah. Well, it's crazy. Like the fans, you know, they're waiting for part three to drop because they want to

[00:28:09] see more of the whole story that they're doing on the side also for Miyagi and why he was at the tournament and what happened also. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Part three. Like I guess, like I said, like they're, I don't know what they're doing for part three at all. And I, I would be completely honest with you guys. Like, you know, so I'm in the same boat as you, I'm waiting to see what they're going to do. So, um, but yeah, you know, I, I, I also heard that too, where, you know, part three is going

[00:28:37] to be setting up a lot of, um, not only is it going to be setting up for, uh, concluding the story of like, you know, uh, Cobra Kai, but it's going to be probably setting up a lot of other, like maybe spinoff type things. But, you know, I, I'm assuming that if they're going to do something to continue that story on, it's not going to be complete. It's just going to be like another mystery to be like, okay, well, let's explore this in a show or in a film or whatever. Right.

[00:29:05] Um, I mean, if I was writing it, that's what I would do. I would, I wouldn't give you a definitive answer to that one. That would make you want more to be like, okay, let's watch another show about this. Um, but yeah, I'm, I, they're very, very, they keep everything very close to the chest and I saw, and I'm a newcomer into the, to the Cobra Kai. So like, I, it's not like I was privy to anything. I literally was there for four days and then I threw out. But your name will always be attached to it. So, which is great. Yeah.

[00:29:35] You know, that's the great thing where, you know, everyone's like, dude, like it it doesn't really hit you until other people tell you how big it is for me. You know, they're like, oh my God. Like you're like, you're like, this is history now. Like you are now the only other person besides Pat Murda to play Mr. Miyagi. And I was like, I guess, I guess so. I haven't really thought of it that way, but yeah. You look up on the wikipedia and they're like, they're my name. They're my picture. That's cool. Okay. Yeah. What's next for you, Brian?

[00:30:03] Anything you could tease about before we end this interview? The other projects we have coming out? I do have a project I've been working on. I can't say too much about it because there's another NDA, but all I can say is it's probably not going to be coming out until 2027. And yeah, it's an ongoing thing. So it's a really cool project. You know, looking forward to seeing people get into it.

[00:30:30] But I think anybody who is in the know of how long something would take to get into production might get a guess on what it is. But at this point, I'm okay with saying that because it might be getting into it. But as it clicks closer to it, I think I'm going to be able to get more stuff out. But yeah, you know, it's really cool. It's been keeping me busy. And of course, if anything comes with this Miyagi thing, that would be great too.

[00:31:00] Which I think everybody wants to see. So hopefully they'll decide to do something. Brian, how can the viewers and listeners and the Cobra Kai fans find you on social media to keep up with you? Sure. You can look at underneath Instagram. It's the underscore Brian underscore Takahashi. If you just put the underscore Brian, that should be the first thing that pops up. You can see this mug on there. But yeah, you know, jump on there and send me a comment or message and try to respond back to everybody. Amazing.

[00:31:30] Brian, I want to thank you for giving me four minutes today. Good luck with your career, the projects, and hopefully we'll see a Miyagi down the road. Thank you. Yes. Same here. And then if I am, I'll hopefully jump back on this one. We'll jump back on. We'll do it again. Yeah.