Summary
While Hawk did eventually return to the light side, the characters competitive nature never waned.
From there, he faces one of the greatest challenges for a highly competitive individual.
He needs to find peace in not being the #1 fighter.
Image by Netflix
Jacob Bertrand Almost Backed Out of Cobra Kai
Thank god I listened to my mom.
Bertrand truly had no idea what he was getting himself into when he first auditioned forCobra Kai.
But then they couldn’t call him Tanzit, so they made it Demetri.
Image via Netflix
But I originally auditioned for Tanzit, and they did the, You were good.
Notthatgood, but audition for this character who doesn’t speak.
I was like, This is gonna be the weirdest audition ever.
The reader is just gonna read, and I’m just gonna sit there and react.
And so that’s what I did.
However, then things took a turn.
Thirty-four years after events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, a down-and-out Johnny Lawrence seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with a now successful Daniel LaRusso.
I walk in and theyre like, Oh, these are the wrong sides.
They gave me dummy Hawk sides.
So I went out, memorized that really quick, went back in, auditioned for Hawk.
It wasn’t until I got on set that I found out they’re the same person.
When I got into wardrobe, I was like, I’m playing the nerdy guy?
And they’re like, Oh, yeah, you become Hawk.
You kiss all these girls.
You get a back tattoo.
I was like, What?
I really wanted to go to USC film school.
That was what I wanted to do.
I finishedKirby Buckets, I was like, I want to direct for Disney.
I loved working with Judy Taylor.
I’ll just direct Disney episodes and that sounds really fun.
That was my goal.
I thought Atlanta was like Nebraska.
I had no idea what Atlanta was like.
I thought it was cornfields.
I had no clue.
You could love the writers and direct something for them later down the road.
This is a great opportunity.
You should do it.
A lot of Hawks biggest moments are the big moments because of his friends.
How Does Hawk Feel About Not Being the Best?
Thats something that Hawk was more okay with than I was.
Ultimately, Hawk learns the most important lesson.
Hes a key part of ateam, and the members of that team are always lifting each other up.
He rocked an unmatched ferocity and standout style.
Whats Bertrands take on the matter?
Does he think Hawk finds peace in not being the best?
Why does that happen?
The biggest one was, Why do I lose to Kenny?
How does that happen?
What do you mean?
I’m not that tall, but Imwaybigger than that kid,at the time.
Theyre like, Oh, Kenny’s a karate prodigy.
Hawk gets a little too cocky.
They were feeding me these little tidbits to quell my competitiveness.
Hes very aggressive, but he’s notthebest.
And thats something that Hawk was more okay with than I was okay with.
Looking for even more from Bertrand, including his ideas for a Binary BrothersCobra Kaispin-off series?
Be sure to catch our full 45-minute conversation in the video at the top of this article!
Cobra Kaiis now available to watch in its entirety on Netflix.
