Daniel J. Kim Talks Yoon, Cobra Kai Dojo, and Epic Moments in Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 2

[00:00:10] Daniel, thank you for joining me today on Pop Culture Unplugged.

[00:00:13] Yeah, of course, man. Thanks so much for having me.

[00:00:15] Excited times, my friend. We have Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 2 out now. Let's start with this, man.

[00:00:20] What's been going through your life, like through your mind, everything last about a week now, or less than a week?

[00:00:26] Yeah, I mean, it's been craziness, man. Ever since it dropped last Thursday midnight or Friday, right? Midnight.

[00:00:32] It's just been a wild roller coaster. It's been awesome to see the fan reaction and just to see how much everybody loves the show.

[00:00:38] It's pretty incredible. So yeah, man, just feeling really grateful.

[00:00:42] For you as an actor, too, how does it feel to be part of a franchise like this, iconic franchise?

[00:00:48] I mean, dude, I grew up on The Karate Kid. That's some of my most cherished childhood memories.

[00:00:56] That was the gateway for me to go watch Ip Man and to see all eventually Jackie Chan movies in college and stuff.

[00:01:03] But for me, it was like the first birth of that kind of passion and my entryway into martial arts movies was Karate Kid when my dad showed it to me.

[00:01:12] So being able to be a part of that, to see Ralph Macchio and Billy Zabka on set in front of me is crazy and surreal.

[00:01:20] And yeah, man, it feels great. It feels amazing.

[00:01:23] What was your journey like going like from like how did you decide to get into acting and from there, like how did you end up on Cobra Kai?

[00:01:31] Yeah, so I kind of stumbled onto acting as a passion pretty early on.

[00:01:35] I was in like, you know, a couple of plays growing up, but it really solidified as something that I wanted to do and something that I loved when I hit high school.

[00:01:43] I went to a performing arts high school called OSHA and from there, everything just kind of blossomed.

[00:01:48] Everything, you know, I just fell in love with acting and I fell in love with storytelling and I fell in love with plays and films and everything.

[00:01:55] And so because of that, that was kind of like that birthplace.

[00:01:58] And I went from there to UCLA to theater school and I've been doing that thing ever since.

[00:02:03] Yeah. How did the Cobra Kai thing happen?

[00:02:07] Yeah, I just kind of like it was just, you know, one of those auditions, you know, where I actually I've said in the past, I I had the fortune to audition for it way back in the day when the first season was coming out on YouTube.

[00:02:20] And, you know, I just knew it was like, oh, this sounds like it's going to be a Karate Kid TV sequel.

[00:02:24] That sounds awesome. Like, you know, I just remember watching Karate Kid one and two and loving both them, but I didn't know what would come of it.

[00:02:31] And I auditioned for the role of Kyler and I was not prepared at all, but I thought this show is so funny and it's written so well.

[00:02:39] I was like, gosh, I would love to be part of it. Joe absolutely kills it.

[00:02:43] And so when it came back across our desk and my agent's desk and me and we got to see us like, oh, man, it'd be really cool to be back and to be a part of this.

[00:02:52] And thank God for the big three, for John, Josh and Hayden, you know, by good fortune and them really taking a chance on us and on me in particular.

[00:03:00] It was it was so sweet to be able to join them on set and tell the story. It's it's awesome, man.

[00:03:04] Yeah, that's awesome. Because you mentioned about how you originally tried out a few years ago.

[00:03:09] Brandon did the same thing when I had him on the first time he was telling me the same thing.

[00:03:13] He went through the same similar way that you did.

[00:03:15] Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think he and I, we I think I can't remember if we talked about it or if I've just heard him like say it on interviews and stuff.

[00:03:21] But yeah, I remember I went out for Kyler. So maybe he did. I don't know if he remembers.

[00:03:25] But yeah, I remember. And I was like, gosh, this is so funny. So it's it's so cool.

[00:03:29] You know, it's like life just does that, you know, as a way of like dropping things back into our lives.

[00:03:33] And for me, it's like as a fan, like I was a fan of season one and season two.

[00:03:36] And I kind of fell off for a little bit. But like having loved the show and being like, this is such a great show and being able to pick it back up.

[00:03:42] It's like, gosh, dude. Yeah. What an honor.

[00:03:45] It's awesome. So when you auditioned the second time around, were you giving a description of you and like how what kind of character he was?

[00:03:52] Yeah, I was, you know, just like a little log line. Yeah. Like you do for auditions.

[00:03:56] Yeah. Well, what did it say? You remember?

[00:03:58] Oh, man, I can't remember exactly, but I can kind of paraphrase it.

[00:04:02] It was like, you know, he's a he's a best he's the best student at the at the dojo at the tojang.

[00:04:06] Right. He's been in this in this dojo for generations. Right.

[00:04:10] Right. And he's like the star student with the gold badge. Right.

[00:04:13] And that he's kind of like this this leader. He's a little bit more like structured, precise.

[00:04:19] And I kind of took that and I ran with it. And apparently someone liked what I did.

[00:04:24] So you ran into it until you're you had to face Quan in the first part.

[00:04:29] That's right. That's right. Yeah. I was just kind of spitballing.

[00:04:31] And then I got there on the day and I was like, oh, I get it. No, no, no.

[00:04:33] I had an idea of who Yoon was pretty, pretty early on.

[00:04:37] I knew people like him and I remember how I was like in high school when I was a student.

[00:04:41] And so I was like, OK, I can draw from a little bit of that. Yeah.

[00:04:44] Did you kind of our student mentality?

[00:04:46] Did you have any martial arts training or anything?

[00:04:49] I did. I did. So I didn't come up from a stunts background.

[00:04:53] I come as an actor. Primarily, that's like my training, my focus, my passion.

[00:04:57] But when I was younger, I did Taekwondo from about the ages of like eight to 17, eight to 18, around nine or 10 years.

[00:05:04] And then I kind of left it behind. I was like, awesome.

[00:05:07] I love doing it. But I think now I'm going to go pursue acting full time.

[00:05:12] And as I kind of went into the acting world, I didn't realize or didn't think I would ever do that again, maybe in like a part here or there.

[00:05:22] But it was so crazy having Cobra Kai come into my life in this way because it's kind of reignited my love for martial arts.

[00:05:29] And, you know, being able to be on set with some incredible martial artists, you know, like Louis Tan and Brandon and Raina and these people who are at the top of their game.

[00:05:39] It's super inspiring.

[00:05:40] And, you know, and it was really sweet to be able to dust off those martial arts that I had, you know, that I'd loved and I'd done for a while.

[00:05:48] I was a secondary black belt. And so it was nice to really dust it off, take it on again and to show up in that way.

[00:05:54] Off air, Brandon has some good words for you and for Raina.

[00:05:57] He says you guys are like, like top there, he thinks.

[00:06:02] Oh my God, that's so kind of it. I mean, Brandon's a beast, man.

[00:06:04] So he's a he's an absolute beast.

[00:06:06] He's the guys, you know, I mean, you see it like on his TikTok and everything.

[00:06:10] He's the real deal. And, you know, and he's also like he's a good friend.

[00:06:14] Like we've been able to keep up a little bit after the show's finished and or as it's coming out now.

[00:06:18] And, you know, gosh, I really admire that guy, his work ethic, his appreciation for the martial arts and just how damn good he is.

[00:06:24] So, yeah, I love that guy.

[00:06:26] That's awesome. So what's your thoughts on Juan and his journey?

[00:06:31] You mean the end of it?

[00:06:33] Yeah.

[00:06:34] I mean, well, who knows?

[00:06:36] Who knows what's happening with him and what will happen in a part three?

[00:06:41] But yeah, man, gosh, what an iconic, iconic moment.

[00:06:46] For me, it was it was funny because Brandon and I, we were on set the same day when we learned about what would happen to his character.

[00:06:54] It was our first day on set. And Hayden, one of the creators of the show, Hayden was there, Hayden Schlossberg, pardon me.

[00:07:02] And he was taking us aside in between takes when we were filming all of our outdoor scenes in episode three of season six.

[00:07:10] You know, when we're carrying bags and we're acting alongside each other, doing a little, you know, dialogue back and forth.

[00:07:17] And he pulled us aside and we give us little tidbits of the story.

[00:07:20] He's like, OK, OK, so there's going to be a knife.

[00:07:22] We're like, what? And then he was like, OK.

[00:07:24] And then he would get Brandon a little more and then give me a little more.

[00:07:26] And we were trading notes back and forth trying to figure out what was going on.

[00:07:29] And then he told us that Juan was going to die by the knife or that that was that was going to be the closing shot of it with the knife.

[00:07:37] And so it's such a crazy moment to end on.

[00:07:42] And I think it's something that's really going to change, I guess, the franchise and also just the story.

[00:07:48] Like nothing is the same after that.

[00:07:51] So even as a fan myself watching it with you guys, I was like, dang, this is crazy.

[00:07:56] And I couldn't wait to see the reaction and to see it be as, I guess, amazing, but also emotional as it is.

[00:08:03] It's like a real testament to how incredibly the writers wrote it, but also how Brandon performed that moment and all of his arc as as Juan.

[00:08:11] It's great.

[00:08:12] I told him right after I watched it, I told him this was before the series aired.

[00:08:16] I was like, you're going to have fans.

[00:08:18] They're going to be mad.

[00:08:19] They are.

[00:08:19] They're mad.

[00:08:20] They're mad.

[00:08:20] People are crying, man.

[00:08:22] People are like posting themselves, like reacting to it and like full on sobbing.

[00:08:26] I was like, God, I am.

[00:08:28] I just said, Brandon, like a tick tock the other day, like there's the song going on.

[00:08:32] That's like hit the quad.

[00:08:33] And I just I said, like someone made an edit of him getting kicked in the face and stabbed.

[00:08:39] I was like, this is so funny.

[00:08:41] Like people are laughing, but people are also like crying.

[00:08:43] And it's a testament to how how iconic that moment is.

[00:08:47] Now, for you, as you know, like have you have you had like a favorite actor or like a person that you faced off in the in Cobra Kai that you enjoyed working with?

[00:08:57] Oh, my God.

[00:08:58] I mean, I've seen all of everybody in the cast is so incredible.

[00:09:03] Like for me, it's like it was just kind of an honor to be able to share the screen, share space with all of them.

[00:09:08] And we're all like, you know, we were all able to hang out and be friends outside as well.

[00:09:12] So it's man, it's hard to pick like a favorite.

[00:09:16] I'll just maybe I'll just say like my favorite fight.

[00:09:19] I think my favorite fight probably this season, at least this part is definitely the 609, the Miyagi-Do Cobra Kai fight.

[00:09:26] And not just like my section, but you know where they're doing like the Hawk and the Dimitri and Kenny fight.

[00:09:30] We're doing the three in the ring.

[00:09:32] That part was so fun and such a crazy day.

[00:09:35] But for me, it's like that closing moment of Robbie just decking Quan in the face with that side flying kick.

[00:09:42] It looks so amazing.

[00:09:44] And it was like electric in the room when it happened on the day.

[00:09:48] So, yeah, that's definitely got to be my favorite fight.

[00:09:50] How about the brawl?

[00:09:52] Oh, my God.

[00:09:53] The brawl is crazy, man.

[00:09:54] 48-hour brawl, I heard.

[00:09:55] Yeah, it's like 13 minutes or something like that.

[00:09:57] It was it is wild.

[00:09:59] That brawl was really fun, too.

[00:10:01] Getting kicked in the face by Tanner is that's that's an honor.

[00:10:03] It's an experience.

[00:10:05] I recommend it to everybody.

[00:10:06] 10 out of 10.

[00:10:08] No, I think the brawl was really crazy and really cool.

[00:10:12] I think like and it's got to be up there, too.

[00:10:14] You know, I don't know.

[00:10:15] It's just it's so hard to pick favorites.

[00:10:16] They're all so great for you.

[00:10:18] What's been like the most challenging thing about working in this series?

[00:10:22] Oh, man.

[00:10:24] Gosh, I think probably twofold.

[00:10:27] I was real.

[00:10:28] I was real nervous about doing.

[00:10:29] It was like a real challenge having to do both like an accent.

[00:10:33] And a foreign language, Korean.

[00:10:36] Right.

[00:10:36] Which I grew up like hearing at home and speaking a little at home, but not as much as Yoon does because he's native Korean, you know, from Korea and also doing martial arts.

[00:10:46] So it was like this huge undertaking for me, you know, and so that was that was really intimidating.

[00:10:52] But I kind of like just sat down, was in it, had incredible castmates guide me through it for the fights.

[00:10:59] Had, you know, Don Lee, our fight coordinator, you know, Ken Bearfield, our stunt coordinator, Tong Chong, you know, our stunt utility.

[00:11:06] Those guys like really buoyed us, trained us, guided us.

[00:11:09] And I felt super supported.

[00:11:11] And I haven't been able to actually say this yet, but we had an interpreter on set who would help us like massage the lines to make it really like natural.

[00:11:19] His name is Kyuwon, Yu Kyuwon.

[00:11:22] And, you know, without him, I don't think that the Korean would have been nearly as clean as it was or for me as accessible as it was.

[00:11:30] And so I really got to give props to him.

[00:11:32] As an actor now, you know, you're part of the universe of Karate Kid, Cobra Kai, but also you're in a dojo of Cobra Kai.

[00:11:39] How does that make you feel?

[00:11:40] Your name will always be on, I was on Cobra Kai Dojo.

[00:11:45] I've actually, hearing you say that is like the first time I've heard someone say quite like that.

[00:11:50] It's kind of like when you're talking to people about Marvel or DC, you're in this universe.

[00:11:54] Totally.

[00:11:54] That's so wild.

[00:11:55] That's like saying like, hey man, you know you were in the Avengers, right?

[00:11:57] And you're like, oh yeah.

[00:11:58] Oh, that's crazy.

[00:11:59] Hey, gosh, that's an honor.

[00:12:02] I mean, I've said before, it's like, you know, if you're in Team Cobra Kai, like you have the best outfits, you have the best theme songs, you know, like you just get to be the cool villains in the show.

[00:12:13] And I always love that.

[00:12:15] I don't know, man.

[00:12:16] I think it's something real special to be like, hey, this version of Cobra Kai creases Cobra Kai from Korea with Tori, with Kwan.

[00:12:24] I don't know.

[00:12:25] It's real special.

[00:12:25] And it's been amazing to see how everybody loves those geese and the outfits and the energy that we brought.

[00:12:31] And yeah, I hold it really, really dear to me.

[00:12:34] And so hopefully, you know, one of these days we'll be able to get like a reunion or something.

[00:12:38] It'd be like, wow.

[00:12:39] Like the Cobra Kai teams through the ages, you know?

[00:12:41] Comic-Con.

[00:12:43] Yeah.

[00:12:43] Well, there you go.

[00:12:44] Yeah.

[00:12:44] Maybe a year from now.

[00:12:55] I know.

[00:12:56] Isn't it just weird how like the way they did it?

[00:12:59] It's amazing.

[00:12:59] I mean, you're always like, where does your allegiance lie?

[00:13:02] That's the best part of the show.

[00:13:03] It's like some days you're rooting for Miyagi-Do.

[00:13:06] Sometimes you can't stand him.

[00:13:07] Some days you're rooting for Cobra Kai, you know?

[00:13:09] And that's just how the writers do an amazing job of making this world painted in shades of gray.

[00:13:15] It's so fun.

[00:13:15] And especially like, you know, like, I know we keep going back to the Quan death and everything, but it's like as soon as you see him on the ground and he's like dead and it's flashing through everybody.

[00:13:24] You even see it like, you know, Daniel's messed up.

[00:13:27] You got Zap because, you know, Johnny, you got Pove rolling his eyes, like putting his eyes down.

[00:13:32] It's like everybody felt it.

[00:13:34] Oh, totally.

[00:13:35] I mean, you should have been there on the day, man.

[00:13:37] It was like a real emotional wave because it's not just, you know, one we're saying to that character, like experiencing that moment and that tragedy with Daniel, right?

[00:13:48] And, you know, for me playing Yoon, it's like Yoon's personal relationship with this guy.

[00:13:53] He's a friend, he's a rival, he's a teammate, you know?

[00:13:56] He's a guy he wanted to get back at and can never do that anymore, you know?

[00:14:01] There's that.

[00:14:02] And then on the same level, that was my last day and Brandon's last day.

[00:14:06] So we were saying goodbye to like those cast members who were on that set.

[00:14:13] And so it was a really emotionally charged day.

[00:14:16] And I think you can see it all over for everybody's performances.

[00:14:20] It's pretty amazing, man.

[00:14:22] I don't think I can forget it.

[00:14:24] Would you want to see a Yoon story continue maybe down the road?

[00:14:27] Dude, would love to.

[00:14:29] We'll see, you know, if the big three want to bite at it, I would love for Yoon to come back in some way.

[00:14:34] But, you know, that's for the powers that be.

[00:14:37] Yeah, but for right now, you know, I really do love this character.

[00:14:40] And having as much as I had to do in this season is like I'm so grateful for every bit of it.

[00:14:46] What's been the fan reaction with you and the character?

[00:14:49] I mean, it's been crazy.

[00:14:51] It's been really good.

[00:14:53] Yeah, it's wild.

[00:14:54] It's like, you know, I expected I actually got warned by a couple people.

[00:14:59] I got warned by Una and I got warned by like Jacob and Sholo.

[00:15:04] And a couple people there like, yo, like the fans, they love this show.

[00:15:08] So I was like, OK, cool.

[00:15:11] Like, you know, we'll see how it goes.

[00:15:13] But it's been like this rabid outpouring of love.

[00:15:16] And that's been super, super kind.

[00:15:19] And I've received nothing but like really sweet compliments.

[00:15:21] And people being like, dude, I love your performance.

[00:15:23] And, you know, I try to go through as many as I can and see everything.

[00:15:28] I can't like everything, obviously.

[00:15:30] Right, right.

[00:15:31] But, you know, I try to see as much as I can.

[00:15:33] And the reaction has been really, really sweet.

[00:15:35] And I felt super honored.

[00:15:37] I know you've been saying like the fans with everything.

[00:15:39] A few years ago, I had Joe on who plays Kyler.

[00:15:42] And he told me that he was getting like angry messages about his character.

[00:15:47] About Kyler?

[00:15:48] Oh, yeah.

[00:15:48] Because the way he was on season one and season two, he was a bully.

[00:15:51] Yeah.

[00:15:52] They were like angry at him.

[00:15:53] He goes, Elias, if I showed you the messages that I was getting on Instagram, you wouldn't believe it.

[00:15:58] That is so funny, man.

[00:16:00] I mean, I think it's just a testament to how much the fans like are in the world.

[00:16:04] You know, these are real people, you know.

[00:16:07] And I think sometimes they forget like Joe is actually a really, really sweet guy in real life.

[00:16:11] He's the opposite.

[00:16:12] Yeah.

[00:16:12] Exactly.

[00:16:13] Exactly.

[00:16:13] Same thing with Brandon.

[00:16:14] You know, Brandon's nothing but Juan.

[00:16:16] Like he's the nicest guy in the world.

[00:16:18] So that's so funny.

[00:16:20] For me, I've actually been really fortunate.

[00:16:22] Like everyone has seemed to have really taken a shine to the Korean version of Cobra Kai.

[00:16:26] And so, yeah, I haven't gotten any death threats.

[00:16:29] Yeah.

[00:16:29] Yeah.

[00:16:30] I haven't gotten.

[00:16:30] Maybe I should knock on wood or something.

[00:16:34] But, you know, everyone seems to like Yoon so far.

[00:16:38] So, yeah, I'm really glad.

[00:16:41] So I guess we'll see what happens at part three with you.

[00:16:43] If we see him.

[00:16:44] If we see him.

[00:16:45] Maybe that changes.

[00:16:46] Right.

[00:16:47] Are we, are you, are the fans going to be happy, you think, with part three?

[00:16:52] Have you heard anything?

[00:16:53] Oh.

[00:16:53] From what you've heard?

[00:16:54] You know, I actually asked the creators to not send me anything from part three.

[00:16:59] Wow.

[00:16:59] I'm just in the dark as you are.

[00:17:02] So, you know, I know a little bit, but, you know, not much that I can share.

[00:17:06] Yeah.

[00:17:07] For me, though, knowing how they've guided the ship already with this second part, you know, I think there are some people who are like, how are they going to land this series?

[00:17:15] Like, you know, with these three part episodes, like, or three part, you know, season, like, are they going to be able to steer it home?

[00:17:20] And I think everyone who's watching the second part, like, can see, can start to see the vision and how much care and thought goes into every single character in this world.

[00:17:30] So, you know, from my experience, just being on set, like, you know, you guys are in good hands, but I'm also just as excited as you guys are because I have no idea what's to come and it'll be crazy to see how it ends.

[00:17:44] It's funny because, you know, I've become friends with some other people that they love Cobra Kai and they're like, they watched it when it got released.

[00:17:50] I had already watched it, but I didn't say anything to them.

[00:17:52] And they're like, what are we going to do when part three ends?

[00:17:54] I was like, I don't know.

[00:17:56] I don't know.

[00:17:56] We're going to be lost.

[00:17:58] We're going to be lost.

[00:18:00] It's going to be one of those things, you know, where we're just like, where do we go now?

[00:18:02] Hopefully you guys, we just like binge it again.

[00:18:04] You know?

[00:18:05] Yeah.

[00:18:06] We just get to see the whole thing.

[00:18:07] And they're praying for a spinoff or a prequel or something.

[00:18:10] So you never know.

[00:18:11] Yeah.

[00:18:11] We'll see.

[00:18:11] We'll see.

[00:18:12] It'll be.

[00:18:13] Yeah.

[00:18:13] It's definitely like a closing of a chapter.

[00:18:16] You know what I mean?

[00:18:16] Like closing of a chapter.

[00:18:17] It'll be bittersweet.

[00:18:18] But yeah.

[00:18:19] I'm loving what we have so far.

[00:18:21] Yeah.

[00:18:21] So what's next for you now?

[00:18:22] Any other projects you got to tell us about that you got coming up?

[00:18:24] Are you working on?

[00:18:25] We'll have to see, man.

[00:18:26] No, for you.

[00:18:27] For you, for Daniel.

[00:18:29] Oh, for me.

[00:18:31] Yeah, man.

[00:18:32] Yeah.

[00:18:32] There's a couple of things down the pipeline.

[00:18:34] Not everything I can talk about.

[00:18:36] A couple of things is I just finished out a stint at a really lovely local theater called

[00:18:41] The Actors Co-op here in L.A.

[00:18:43] And had an amazing time with them.

[00:18:45] It was so awesome on a show called Are You Listening?

[00:18:47] I'm working on a couple of Korean drama dubs here and there.

[00:18:50] But and I've got a couple of projects in the works.

[00:18:53] But that's all stuff that has to, you know, it's going to take a little time for it to

[00:18:56] cook.

[00:18:57] But right now, go and watch part two for everybody who hasn't seen it yet.

[00:19:01] And part three is on the horizon.

[00:19:02] Can't wait to see what the rest of you guys.

[00:19:04] Amazing.

[00:19:04] Daniel, let's end this by a hop in the viewers and listeners to find you on social media

[00:19:07] to keep up with you with projects and everything else you're posting.

[00:19:11] Yeah.

[00:19:11] Yeah.

[00:19:11] You can find me on Instagram at Daniel underscore J underscore Kim.

[00:19:16] And I'm also on TikTok.

[00:19:18] I don't really post, but I do see the edits that you guys send over.

[00:19:21] And I, you know, I love seeing how much you guys are taking to the show and stuff.

[00:19:25] So I'm also at Daniel underscore J underscore Kim there too.

[00:19:28] Amazing.

[00:19:28] Daniel, thanks for giving me a few minutes today.

[00:19:30] Let's catch you back on in the future.

[00:19:32] Sweet.

[00:19:32] Thanks so much for having me, man.

[00:19:33] Honored.

[00:19:34] Thank you.