‘Cobra Kai' creators reveal Hilary Swank declined to join show: ‘Disappointing'
The creators of the hit Netflix show 'Cobra Kai' have revealed that they tried to get Swank, 50, to appear in the popular 'Karate Kid' sequel series.
But the Oscar-winning actress, who played Julie Pierce in 1994's 'The Next Karate Kid,' politely declined.
10 The creators of 'Cobra Kai' have revealed that they tried to get Hilary Swank to appear in the popular 'Karate Kid' sequel series.
©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
10 Swank portrayed Julie Pierce in 'The Next Karate Kid' in 1994.
©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
'Cobra Kai' creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg opened up about the situation during a sit-down with Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday.
'We did reach out in the very early days before the season to see if there was a path,' Heald said, revealing that they approached the actress shortly before the show's sixth and final season began production in 2024.
'We had an inkling of an idea about how she could come into this story and not have to commit to 10 episodes or something,' he continued.
10 Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi and Swank as Julie Pierce in 'The Next Karate Kid.'
©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
10 The Oscar-winning actress politely declined the 'Cobra Kai' creators' offer for her to appear in the Netflix show.
Getty Images
'It was going to feel like it could be a one or two-episode arc, similar to what we did with Elisabeth Shue,' Heald added, 'where you can bring Ali back in at a pivotal moment and affect an important relationship.'
Shue, who starred as Ali Mills alongside Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso in the original 1984 'Karate Kid,' reprised her character for the last two episodes of the Netflix show's third season.
Although Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg did reach out to Swank's reps to find out if they could have a discussion with her and introduce themselves, the trio never even got that far.
10 'We had an inkling of an idea about how she could come into this story and not have to commit to 10 episodes or something,' creator Josh Heald explained.
©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
10 'She was just in a place where she wasn't looking to do that,' Heald said.
©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
'On her end, it was very respectful, but we never got that opportunity to sit down and pour our heart out the way that we typically do when we bring back characters from the legacy,' Heald explained. 'She was just in a place where she wasn't looking to do that.'
'She had had babies. I think she was in production on something at the time, and it was a respectful pass on even the idea of a meeting,' he added. 'She didn't want us to go through the trouble of flying out to her and putting our heart on the sleeve because it just wasn't something she was ready to do at that moment.'
Swank welcomed twins with her husband, Philip Schneider, in April 2023. She joined the cast of Showtime's 'Yellowjackets' for Season 3, which premiered this year.
10 'Cobra Kai' followed Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) 34 years after the events of the original 'Karate Kid' movie.
©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
10 Many other characters from the six-movie 'Karate Kid' franchise joined Macchio and Zabka on the small screen for 'Cobra Kai.'
©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
Despite Swank's refusal, the three creators still hope to see her return as Julie Pierce in a potential 'Cobra Kai' spinoff.
'It's a big piece of the Miyagi-verse that's still out there,' Heald said. 'For us, it was a little disappointing because we like getting everybody, but at the same time, we didn't sacrifice any huge story that we had fully developed.'
'It's more fruit on the vine for if we can revisit this universe going forward,' he concluded.
The Post has reached out to Swank's reps for comment.
10 'Cobra Kai' premiered on Netflix in 2018 and wrapped up its sixth and final season in February.
©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
'Cobra Kai,' which premiered on Netflix in 2018 and wrapped up its sixth and final season in February, followed Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) 34 years after the events of the original 'Karate Kid' movie.
While Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg were unable to convince Swank to return, they did bring back other characters from the six-movie franchise to join Macchio, 63, and Zabka, 59, on the small screen.
Yuji Okumoto reprised his character Chozen Toguchi from 1986's 'Karate Kid Part II,' and Sean Kanan (Mike Barnes), Thomas Ian Griffith (Terry Silver) and Robyn Lively (Jessica Andrew) all returned to their roles from 1989's 'Karate Kid Part III.'
10 Ralph Macchio with some of his 'Cobra Kai' cast members during a screening of the show in Los Angeles in March 2025.
Getty Images
Plus, Macchio recently reprised his role as Daniel LaRusso for the 10th time for the franchise's newest film, 'Karate Kid Legends,' which premiered on May 30.
The movie also saw Jackie Chan return as Mr. Han from the 2010 'Karate Kid' remake.
'Reprising this role means paying that legacy forward,' Macchio said upon the release of 'Karate Kid Legends' last month. 'It's about spreading that wisdom and knowledge in a good way, in a positive way.'
Pat Morita, who played the beloved character Mr. Miyagi in the original 'Karate Kid' trilogy and 'The Next Karate Kid,' died in 2005. He was 73.
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