Oona O’Brien on Devon Lee’s Growth and Challenges in 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 Part 2

[00:00:10] Oona, thank you for joining me today on Pop Culture Unplugged. Thank you so much for having me. It's nice to see you. Exciting times. You know, we have Cobra Kai Season 6 Part 2. I've been starting off with these interviews with how has your life been the last few days? Oh my gosh. Honestly, I've been pretty heads in the books studying, so I haven't, you know, I haven't been out in the world much, but yeah, just focused on school and studying right now.

[00:00:37] How about the Cobra Kai life with all the fans and everything and the reaction so far?

[00:00:42] You know, all of that has been a crazy social media whirlwind. My favorite part of, you know, the drop is being able to post all the behind the scenes stuff on Instagram and such. So that's been really fun to get to go through my camera roll and find all the fun moments.

[00:00:59] Including spoilers.

[00:01:00] Including spoilers.

[00:01:02] Including spoilers, for sure.

[00:01:04] So, yeah, let's jump into Season 6. And I've been looking forward to this chat for a while now.

[00:01:08] Devin, you know, she's been like a transformative journey, I would say, you know, from Part 1 going into Part 2. Tell us a little bit about that.

[00:01:17] Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Your girl Devin has gone through a lot this season.

[00:01:23] Yeah, she has.

[00:01:24] Yeah, Part 1. You know what? I would say her storyline is pretty similar to Tori's this season.

[00:01:32] Just because, you know, they've both lost their moms and they have something to prove.

[00:01:37] And, you know, Tori decides to get there any way that she can. So she joins Cobra Kai. And Devin is sort of similar in the sense that she decides to spite Kenny, which is, you know, something that she deeply regrets.

[00:01:53] But it was really interesting and fun to get to play out that arc where, you know, she does something bad and then she feels terrible about it.

[00:02:02] And it sort of spoils her performance at the Sekai Taikai.

[00:02:07] But then she gets to redeem herself later.

[00:02:09] And actually fighting with Dallas is really fun, too, at the end.

[00:02:14] And all that. But yeah, it was great to get to see her, you know, do a 180.

[00:02:19] Yeah. It's funny, too, because like in Part 1, when she did that, you know, I call it the big morale dilemma, you know, the way what she did.

[00:02:27] When you were reading through the script, how did you feel when you were like, oh, my God, my character is about to do this?

[00:02:33] Oh, I didn't believe it at first. I was like, no, she would never.

[00:02:36] She would never. But she's so competitive.

[00:02:38] I do get I get where she's coming from. She wanted it so badly.

[00:02:41] So I didn't want her to do it and she didn't want to do it either.

[00:02:46] But, you know, sometimes.

[00:02:49] Sometimes we do things we regret.

[00:02:51] Right, right.

[00:02:52] When you read the script for Part 2, you saw, you know, she took accountability for spiking the Drake.

[00:02:57] Did you did that make you feel better as an actor?

[00:02:59] Like your character has a little over redemption in it.

[00:03:02] For sure. Yeah.

[00:03:03] Yeah. Yeah. Of course, I wanted her to own up to it and make friends with with Kenny again.

[00:03:09] And also, that was fun for me as an actor because Dallas and I are good friends in real life.

[00:03:13] So it was nice to be able to play friends on screen, too.

[00:03:17] That was a lot of fun.

[00:03:18] How do you think now the momentum of like this relationship with Kenny goes into Part 3 without without giving spoilers away?

[00:03:25] Of course, we can't talk about spoilers.

[00:03:28] Oh, I mean, I will now they're just finally on good terms.

[00:03:32] And, you know, a lot of the Miyagi-dos are feeling better about, I guess, their feuds.

[00:03:40] So a lot of that is resolved going into the third part of the series.

[00:03:44] And you'll get to see a little bit more about how that plays out later on.

[00:03:47] How would you how would you describe like Devin's overall journey throughout these seasons of Cobra Kai now coming to an end also?

[00:03:55] You know, Devin sort of started out as a girl with a lot of ambition and drive and she didn't really know where to channel.

[00:04:04] And I think this whole karate journey has given her a place to explore something new and also just push herself to a limit that she hasn't reached before.

[00:04:13] So it's it's been really fun to get to watch her and play her, you know, as she as she grows up and grows in her karate skills and also as a person and and, you know, learns to do things like take accountability for herself when she does something wrong and and support her teammates.

[00:04:32] I feel like throughout the seasons to Devin, she's got a very special bond with Johnny played by Zabka.

[00:04:38] When you guys have that conversation about spiking Kenny's water and everything, that's a pivotal moment for this character.

[00:04:45] Like, describe that scene for us, because for me, it feels like it's like it's it gets very serious between you two in that conversation.

[00:04:53] Right, for sure.

[00:04:55] You know, I was really nervous to do that scene because I never had to, like, cry on camera before or anything.

[00:05:02] But, you know, Mr. Zabka was so great because he's just he's like such a comforting, sweet person.

[00:05:09] And he was like, hey, you got this. You can do it.

[00:05:11] So I think I could sort of like feel that in the scene while we were performing it as well.

[00:05:18] It's just sort of like the trust and feeling like we can be vulnerable.

[00:05:21] And also it was nice. Yeah, it was just nice to be able to, like, see her be vulnerable and take accountability in that moment and be a little, you know, tender in that in that scene.

[00:05:36] Don't forget, you're also his number one student for a while.

[00:05:39] That's true. That's true.

[00:05:40] He always had a thing for you that he always you're always this top student throughout the season.

[00:05:44] People are not going to forget that.

[00:05:46] No.

[00:05:47] All right.

[00:05:48] How about the Saikai tournament there?

[00:05:52] Tell us a little bit about that.

[00:05:53] You know, we see, you know, she's part of the Miyagi Do and they struggle through their matches throughout part two.

[00:05:58] How did you approach playing like her frustrations throughout this?

[00:06:02] Oh, boy.

[00:06:04] You know, I feel like I, you know, I came into the cast.

[00:06:09] I came into the show later.

[00:06:10] So my karate skills definitely weren't as sharp as all these folks.

[00:06:14] I guess just, you know, trying to keep up in my own training has been I mean, they've been so welcoming.

[00:06:20] So it doesn't really feel like as nerve wracking as it would be on a stage like that.

[00:06:25] But I guess just channeling my own nerves about performing karate well on the show, I guess, sort of, you know, takes over into that into that space of the Saikai Taikai.

[00:06:36] And it was yeah, it was great to get to see them struggle a little bit because all these characters that we've seen win so often are finally like in a position where they aren't the big fish.

[00:06:49] And, you know, they have to they're all sort of like treading water there.

[00:06:52] And that was that was fun to play out.

[00:06:54] Now we have the Iron Dragons in there.

[00:06:56] What's your thoughts on them?

[00:06:57] Oh, my gosh.

[00:06:58] I love the Iron Dragons.

[00:07:00] And also, I have to say, Raina, she is a legit 13 time, I believe, 13 time world champ.

[00:07:06] So it was really inspiring and cool to just get to see her kick ass.

[00:07:10] And of course, Patrick is a fantastic actor, commercial artist as well.

[00:07:15] It was really, really cool to get to see them take over and bring in that sort of like fun energy to the show.

[00:07:22] I spoke to Patrick a few weeks ago.

[00:07:24] One of the questions I asked him, like, how would he feel about Iron Dragons spin up?

[00:07:27] He was all for it.

[00:07:29] I would love that.

[00:07:30] I would love to see it.

[00:07:31] Expand the universe.

[00:07:32] Yeah, 100%.

[00:07:33] Yeah.

[00:07:33] I would love to see his backstory and, you know, all of his interactions with Sensei Wolf, what's been going on there.

[00:07:39] Right, right.

[00:07:41] In part two, we see a big brawl.

[00:07:44] Tell us a little bit about that.

[00:07:44] We've talked.

[00:07:45] I've talked to the other cast members about this.

[00:07:46] They're telling you it was like two days worth of filming just for that 13 minute fight scene.

[00:07:51] Yes.

[00:07:52] Yes.

[00:07:52] It was absolutely crazy.

[00:07:55] I remember, you know, while we're filming other scenes, they would like pull us aside to practice our pieces in the brawl.

[00:08:02] And then it wasn't until, you know, the days that we shot that we actually got to see it all play out because we had heard about each other's fights.

[00:08:10] But, you know, in the scene, they're all going on at once.

[00:08:13] And when we really got to play that, it was just utter chaos.

[00:08:17] And it was so much fun.

[00:08:19] But, yeah, stunts are some of my favorite parts of the show.

[00:08:21] So it was great to get to do that.

[00:08:24] What's been like your favorite fight scene or scene like throughout the series, you think?

[00:08:29] My favorite fight scene ever or that I've ever done?

[00:08:33] Whichever.

[00:08:34] Either your scene or let's do both.

[00:08:37] A fight scene that you've been through that you've enjoyed the most and another scene that somebody else was in that you enjoyed watching.

[00:08:44] Okay.

[00:08:46] I have been loving watching all the girls fight and in the tournament.

[00:08:50] That's been really, really cool.

[00:08:52] I am a big fan of the school fight in season two, I think.

[00:08:57] That was like such a shocking thing to see on television.

[00:09:02] And then as for my fights, I might have to say the fight in the brawl just because it was that's like some of the most flashy choreography that we've gotten to do.

[00:09:17] And I was also fighting with some of the stunt people go to my dojo back home.

[00:09:22] So I was like fighting with friends and that was really cool, too.

[00:09:25] And also, of course, getting to fight with Dallas was great.

[00:09:28] So all those, you know, combination of all those things.

[00:09:31] But we actually filmed that scene with me and Dallas sort of like running up the stairs of the Sekai Taikai venue and fighting off the other teams.

[00:09:40] We filmed that in like 15 minutes.

[00:09:44] It was crazy fast.

[00:09:45] Yes.

[00:09:46] And it was like right at the end of the day, they're wrapping up and we managed to squeeze that scene in.

[00:09:50] And that was that was, oh, my gosh, the most intense 15 minutes of my life.

[00:09:57] Has there been anybody that you didn't get a chance to have like a fight scene with?

[00:10:00] You're kind of bummed.

[00:10:03] Oh, um.

[00:10:04] You know what?

[00:10:05] There are a lot of people I haven't fought.

[00:10:07] I would love to fight Stingray.

[00:10:10] I think he would be a very fun competitor.

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

[00:10:15] I don't know.

[00:10:15] Yeah.

[00:10:15] He's he's got a lot of sass.

[00:10:19] He's a devil, as they would say.

[00:10:21] Yeah.

[00:10:21] These days.

[00:10:22] He wrestles these days.

[00:10:23] Careful.

[00:10:24] Oh, yeah.

[00:10:25] Oh, my gosh.

[00:10:25] Wait, no.

[00:10:26] I take it back.

[00:10:26] I take it back.

[00:10:27] Never mind.

[00:10:29] What was your reaction with the Quan's death?

[00:10:32] Did you see it in the script or did you find out on the day on set?

[00:10:37] Oh, I think I kind of found out from like whisperings amongst the cast.

[00:10:42] And I was like, no, I don't believe it.

[00:10:44] And they're like, yeah, somebody dies.

[00:10:46] But we're not going to say who.

[00:10:47] You got to read it for yourself.

[00:10:48] And then I just like my jaw kind of dropped.

[00:10:50] I was like, oh, my gosh, I didn't I didn't really expect it to happen.

[00:10:53] I didn't know we could go here in the in the Miyagi-Do universe.

[00:10:56] So that was absolutely insane to to read on the page.

[00:11:00] How emotional was it when you guys were filming that scene?

[00:11:02] Do you remember?

[00:11:03] Oh, my goodness.

[00:11:06] It was.

[00:11:08] You know what?

[00:11:09] It was kind of crazy because it was very emotional for like a lot of the

[00:11:13] Cobras because that was their teammate that they'd watched.

[00:11:16] And I felt like their reactions were so strong that, you know,

[00:11:20] everyone got a little teary eyed and sad about his death.

[00:11:25] It was tragic.

[00:11:26] So but yeah, that was a really crazy day.

[00:11:30] And what a way to end a huge brawl.

[00:11:33] So.

[00:11:34] Right.

[00:11:35] That's crazy.

[00:11:35] I spoke to Brandon, like I said earlier, and he used to tell me like

[00:11:39] when he found out, he couldn't believe it.

[00:11:41] He's like, all right, let's do it.

[00:11:42] He was all excited at the end.

[00:11:43] Oh, yeah.

[00:11:44] And he killed it.

[00:11:45] He killed it.

[00:11:46] Well, it killed him.

[00:11:47] He killed it.

[00:11:48] Right.

[00:11:48] He killed it.

[00:11:48] Right.

[00:11:49] Tell us a little bit about the Tori and Devin bond too.

[00:11:51] You know, like, you know, like it kind of looked like in a way it was kind of

[00:11:54] like she was mentoring you in a way and vice versa.

[00:11:58] A hundred percent.

[00:11:59] Yeah.

[00:11:59] I think Devin looks up to Tori a lot, especially because, like I said before, like they have

[00:12:03] sort of been going through the same the same story and, you know, losing their their moms.

[00:12:10] And I think she sees like a strong female role model in her and she kind of just looks up to her

[00:12:18] and tries to follow her path and take the things that are good from it and sort of discard,

[00:12:25] you know, the trouble that Tori gets into.

[00:12:28] But, you know, Devin does get into her own trouble too.

[00:12:31] So, yeah, but she definitely sees Tori as a mentor and a role model.

[00:12:36] And going forward, you know, we'll look up to her.

[00:12:42] You've been part of Cobra Kai.

[00:12:43] You've been part of the Miyagi Doe and I believe the Eagle Fang too, right?

[00:12:47] Yes.

[00:12:47] And Topanga.

[00:12:49] That's right.

[00:12:50] So which if you could have told the writers, hey, I want to just stay with one dojo in the series,

[00:12:55] who would it be?

[00:12:56] Oh, I have to say Eagle Fang, you know, it's it's a ridiculous name.

[00:13:04] But, you know, that's my my first dojo.

[00:13:06] So I have to stay true.

[00:13:08] There you go.

[00:13:09] There you go.

[00:13:10] Any favorite moment filming the series that you can think of that you enjoyed?

[00:13:14] Oh, my gosh.

[00:13:16] So many.

[00:13:17] I.

[00:13:19] For the first part of season six, we had the sleepover scene with Johnny and Peyton and

[00:13:27] Mary.

[00:13:28] And that was mixing up characters names, people names.

[00:13:30] But that was really fun to film because it did just feel like we were having a party.

[00:13:34] And especially the Ouija board scene where we were sort of, or I guess Johnny was sort

[00:13:41] of playing pranks on us.

[00:13:42] But yeah, Mr. Zabka is hilarious.

[00:13:45] And he kept improvising all these added lines and fun bits.

[00:13:48] And it was more of a game of trying not to break than anything because he's he's awesome.

[00:13:54] But yeah, that was a really, really fun day.

[00:13:57] You mentioned Zabka, you know, we have Zabka, we have Machu, but there's a lot of veterans

[00:14:01] on the show.

[00:14:01] Any advice from any of those guys to you guys about the series or anything?

[00:14:07] You know what?

[00:14:09] I think a lot of what they had said, especially in the last season, was just sort of like

[00:14:14] take it in and soak up, you know, everything that you're experiencing now.

[00:14:18] Live in the moment.

[00:14:21] I guess.

[00:14:22] And as for like.

[00:14:24] Advice, they've given us a lot of like acting advice, karate advice, because they've been

[00:14:28] doing this for so long.

[00:14:29] And Mr. Macchio directed episode three, which was the Sliver Party episode.

[00:14:35] And, you know, he gave a lot of great advice there, too.

[00:14:38] And that was such an awesome experience, by the way.

[00:14:40] He's a fantastic director.

[00:14:43] So, yeah, they've definitely.

[00:14:46] Been senseis to us in our real lives, too, which is such a gift.

[00:14:52] As an actor, how does it feel to be part of this universe?

[00:14:54] Like your name will always be attached to this.

[00:14:57] Oh, you know what?

[00:14:59] It's pretty cool.

[00:15:00] I was a huge fan of the show before I was on it.

[00:15:04] So, yeah, it always it'll always have a really special place in my heart.

[00:15:10] What do you want the fans to remember about Devin?

[00:15:16] That's a good question.

[00:15:18] I hope that Devin can be sort of a role model to a lot of those young girls out there, especially

[00:15:25] like Asian-American girls, because she is such a fierce and intense and strong personality

[00:15:33] that breaks a lot of the stereotypes of Asian girls being like submissive and meek.

[00:15:40] And I think it's so cool to have an Asian girl out there kicking some butt and taking

[00:15:47] names.

[00:15:48] That's right.

[00:15:48] That's right.

[00:15:49] What can you tease about part three?

[00:15:52] Yeah, what can you tease without giving anything away for part three?

[00:15:55] Oh, my goodness.

[00:15:56] Especially for Devin, for Devin, at least.

[00:15:58] For Devin?

[00:15:59] Um, I, oh, uh, I don't know how to tease something without spoiling right now.

[00:16:09] But no, part three is also pretty crazy.

[00:16:12] There's some more fighting for sure.

[00:16:15] And it is a really satisfying ending, I think, for all the characters, getting to see them come

[00:16:23] to their closings of their journeys.

[00:16:25] Um, but yeah, I think as a fan of the show myself, it was, it's a super fulfilling, um,

[00:16:32] last five episodes.

[00:16:33] I'm excited for everyone to see it.

[00:16:35] Are you, uh, they've been talking about spinoffs and prequels.

[00:16:37] Would you jump on a spinoff if they offered something to you?

[00:16:40] I, yeah, of course, of course.

[00:16:43] Um, you know, I love, I love this show.

[00:16:45] I love working with everyone on it and we've all become like a big family now.

[00:16:49] So, um, yeah, I would love any chance to get to work with these folks again.

[00:16:54] Amazing.

[00:16:55] Last question.

[00:16:56] Do you have a message for the fans?

[00:16:58] Oh, yes.

[00:16:59] Fans, I love you so much.

[00:17:01] Thank you so much for watching the show.

[00:17:03] We could not do this without you.

[00:17:04] And you are what, you know, makes the Cobra Kai fandom so cool.

[00:17:08] So thank you.

[00:17:09] Yeah.

[00:17:09] Thank you guys for being so badass and, and bringing all your energy and light into this

[00:17:14] show, into this universe.

[00:17:16] Amazing.

[00:17:17] I want to thank you for giving me a few minutes today.

[00:17:19] I'm pressed on pop culture.

[00:17:21] I'm plugged in, you know, I can't wait for part three to come out February right around

[00:17:25] the corner.

[00:17:26] Yes.

[00:17:27] It's coming soon.

[00:17:27] Thank you so much for having me.