Jacob Bertrand on Hawk’s Journey & Final Moments in Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 3

[00:00:09] Jacob, thank you for joining me today on Pop Culture Unplugged. Thank you man, I appreciate you having me. Excited times as a friend we got Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 3 is finally out. How do you feel about talking about the final chapter, my friend, especially when you're wrapping up Hawks Journey? Yeah, talking about the end is, it feels surreal. It doesn't quite feel like it's happened yet. We still have the premiere and everything but it is weird being at the last press junket, you know,

[00:00:38] sitting next to Gianni and Sholo, Peyton Mary Tanner for the last time. Yeah, it's weird. It's like slowly starting to eek in that it's actually over. So we saw that we saw this show broke up at three different parts. When you were reading the script, you know, you're going from part one to part two, especially part three. What was your reaction throughout the season while in filming this? Well, yeah, originally, we didn't know that it was going to be three parts. We had kind of guessed that it was going to be on 10 episodes dropped.

[00:01:06] And then at the end of the, you know, 10th episode, there's a huge cliffhanger and we're people are gonna be like, Whoa, what the heck? And then they're gonna say, you know, another five coming soon or like next week or something. It was gonna be like three months space in between drops. But yeah, reading it was, they would tell us nothing. So kind of similarly to how the fans will watch it and have to wait and be like, Oh, that's kind of how we were feeling.

[00:01:35] Cause it was a month would go by and we get a batch of episodes that we like, Oh wow, this is so cool. And then another month to go by, we'd be waiting and then get another batch of episodes. It was hard to read it that way. Cause you know, you just, this show, especially the writers do a good job of, they want you to just turn through it. Hawk has had one of the most intense transformation in the series, right? Looking back, like, how do you feel about his full arc? Hawk and that it's coming to an end?

[00:02:03] Um, you know, I think it's funny. Hawk has had like, you know, Oh man, he's, he's done it. And then he's looking great. And then he'll just revert back to sets of, you know, each season he's, he's gotten to have a little arc because he kind of chooses to stumble. Um, and this season is really no different, but I am really happy with where he ends up. Cause I, I feel like Dimitri was sort of the last relationship that took the time to actually mend.

[00:02:32] Um, he had done that with everyone. And I think Dimitri and him sort of glossed over all of the hurt that had happened. And I think both of them were holding onto a lot of different things and them taking some time apart and being enemies for a little bit. Then, you know, just coming to realize that now they're way better together and, uh, you know, they should go to college together and continue being binary bros. Are you a little disappointed that Hawk did not go very deep into the Psychi-Tyco tournament?

[00:02:58] Um, you know, I never thought he would. Um, so I'm not too bummed. What I was more shocked at, uh, was he wasn't in like the auto making group. That he wasn't up there with, you know, Tori and Sam and, and, uh, uh, Robbie and Miguel. I thought I was, to me, I was confused. I was like, wait, he just won. Like, why is he not?

[00:03:25] Why is he not as good as them right now? Um, which I still don't super know the answer more, but, uh, it, it did add for some good, uh, some good stakes when, you know, he's possibly not making it to the Psychi-Tyco. And he kind of doesn't at the, at the beginning, you know, You know, he's had a lot of the, in my opinion, he's had some of the best fights in the series. How do you feel about that?

[00:03:51] Yeah. And even scenes. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm so biased. Of course, I think that he has the best fights, you know, I, I mean, I think the season four All Valley fight is one of my favorites. I just think that the wonders are also so good in, you know, the school fight is one of my favorites and the LaRusso house fight is just so sick. I love that, that wonder. How about the frat party? Oh yeah. The frat part, the frat party, I think honestly is like highlight for Hawk in terms of season six. I think.

[00:04:23] I spoke to Mary yesterday. She told me to ask you about the pulled kidney. About the what? Pulled kidney. Did you pull your kidney or something like that in a fight? Oh my God. Pulled kidney. No, it's just like a term that we'll use. We're like, Oh my God, I blow my kidney. Absolutely. Cause you, you sometimes you get hit back then. You're like, Oh my God. That's awesome. So we mentioned, you know, the, the binary brothers, you know, uh, Hawk, uh, Hawk's friend with Dimitri, you know, I've had Johnny on the show three times.

[00:04:50] What a great guy, you know, like, uh, how would you say like, you know, you mentioned, you know, they both go to college at the end. Would you want to see like a spinoff or like another, maybe a movie with them too down the road? Would you be all for that? Oh yeah. I mean, if Gianni's in it, 100%. I love working with that kid. And he's so funny. He's, he's one of the weirdest people I've ever met. And he's so down to just be weird with you. And if you, yeah, I don't know. He's, he's, we have a ton of fun on set and I would absolutely love to do anything else with it.

[00:05:20] But yeah, I mean, that, that would be sick. If the writers are down, I'm down. What about his romance life for Hawk? Are you, were you happy with that ending too? Yeah. I mean, the romance life for Hawk, I think has always been very topsy turvy, but he's always, I think had a crush on moon. And I think, uh, I'm happy for him that, you know, he got, he got his girl at the end.

[00:05:43] I like how Hawk, Hawk and Johnny too, you know, they had an, uh, an interesting, uh, student sensei dynamic. Is there like a moment with him that it's always going to stick out with you?

[00:05:54] Um, I mean, I love the, the point where, you know, I think it's season four or shoot, maybe it's at the beginning of season three. I forget. Yeah. I think it's beginning of season three where Johnny comes to the school and he kind of apologizes for his behavior and, you know, Miguel getting hurt.

[00:06:15] And he looks at Hawk and he's like, you know, Chris, don't give a shit about you. You know, he didn't, he didn't make you into this. Like I did. I gave you everything that you have. That's a moment that, um, would, that stuck with me a lot just through the past season of just like remembering that lesson. Um, when he kind of comes in and reams all of us. And I think that's something that really, really affected Hawk and kind of shook him to his roots a little bit. And, you know, he's a kid, you know, they need those sort of rude awakenings sometimes.

[00:06:43] And then we're like, Hey, you know, like you don't know everything. You are not. What's your, what's your thoughts about crease and silver and that we could talk about explosion. Oh yeah. I loved it. I mean, I, I love when I read that moment in the script, I was like, of course, like, this is, you know, this, this is perfect. Um, I was surprised to see that that's how, you know, silver goes down.

[00:07:12] Um, um, I love it. It's, it's so Cobra Kai to, to have an end like that. I asked Mary the same question. Do you think they're dead? What's your, what's your thing on that? Uh, I think silver's dead. No shot that crease is dead. He's unkidding. So, that's awesome. So Hawk has become, you know, like, uh, an iconic character in the series of the Karate Kid universe, Cobra Kai universe, you know, like, uh, how does that make you feel?

[00:07:40] Oh man. I mean, you know, starting this show, I didn't even really know that there was going to be a Hawk. When I first put the role, I kind of just thought that there was just an Eli and then learning more about the role and that there was going to be a Hawk.

[00:07:55] You know, the fact that the character came, you know, I mean, the whole show blew up. Uh, it's just weird. It's not, it's something that I never anticipated. And even just shows going to Netflix and blowing up the way it did. Um, yeah, it's, to me, it's still doesn't feel real. And when I'll go out and people recognize me or, you know, oh, my kid loves Cobra Kai.

[00:08:19] You know, he started karate because of you guys. And, um, it's, it's weird to think that, you know, a show that I'm on has that type of influence on people. And it's, it's cool to, to think about. And I'm like, oh, dude, maybe, you know, like, you know, Ralph was like, oh, one day it would be cool to like show my kids, you know, like, oh, like, look at this thing that I did when I was, when I was a kid, you know? Did you take anything offset? Do you remember?

[00:08:46] Oh, heck yeah. I gotta wait 12 years to tell everybody what that is. Cause it's, but oh my God. Yeah. We took some really great things that, um, soon or in 12 years, I'll be, I'm sorry. There you go. Are you, uh, are you satisfied with the ending? Oh, we see, you know, we see Johnny fight, uh, Sensei Wolf, you know, we see, uh, Tori winning the tournament, Miguel winning the tournament.

[00:09:11] I think everyone who won are like the people that you needed to win. You know, we, I think we, everyone gets what they need at the end. And I don't know if that happens all the time in a show. And I think the writers were able to wrap up everyone's stories in a really great way. Um, I personally love my ending. I love that. I still get to be with my binary brother and it does leave the door open to do really cool stuff in the future.

[00:09:39] And I hope we get to keep doing certain things in some way, shape and form. I think that'd be fun. Um, but you know, if this is like the end, the end, the end, I love the place that it's at. And I'm very proud of the show we've been making for the last like seven, eight years. And you know, the people we've been making it with, it's just been, I mean, yeah, it's super life changing.

[00:10:07] I'll admit, I'll be one of the first I'm sad it's over. I grew up idolizing the karate kid. Now, you know, when Cobra Kai came back, I was so super pumped and everything. Now it's over. I'm like, now what do I watch? I kind of feel like that. Like now what do I watch? It's funny. I mean, yeah, I'm, yeah, I'm like, damn, now who do I hang out with? You know, these guys all the time. Right. Uh, last question. Uh, what's some, what's one message you want to give out to the Cobra Kai fans out there?

[00:10:33] Oh man. I mean, thank just, thank you so much for watching for, you know, six fricking seasons. That doesn't, that doesn't happen anymore. Um, and I'm just so beyond grateful that we got the opportunity to tell the story. Uh, uh, I'm happy that, you know, people stayed by Hawks side, even after seasons two and three, when he was a total asshole.

[00:10:56] Uh, I'm glad I got to win a tournament. Thank you guys so much. Yeah. I don't know. I'm just beyond stoked and I hope everybody has the best 2025 and that they like the last, uh, the last part. It's going to break records. I'm sure. Yeah. I mean, I hope I just, I just hope people like it, you know, like we had so much fun making the show. I hope that you have as much fun watching it. Amazing. Jacob, I want to thank you for getting a few minutes today. Good luck with the future, future projects. Maybe we'll see something down the road again.

[00:11:27] Dude. Hell yeah. Good to see you. You too. Have a good day. Thank you.