Ralph Macchio made a name for himself in the ’80s, starring in films like The Karate Kid and My Cousin Vinny, but it was his role in The Outsiders that shot him to stardom. The 1983 coming-of-age movie launched the careers of many actors, most of whom were much older than the characters they portrayed.
Ralph Macchio connected with his character at a young age
Years before the movie came out, Macchio connected with the Johnny Cade character after reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton in school. (Fun fact: Macchio and I graduated from the same high school in New York!)
In an interview with Parade, he said:
“I read the book when I was 12 years old in seventh-grade English class. It was the first book that I ever finished cover to cover … I was immediately connected to it.”
When Macchio found out that Francis Ford Coppola was holding auditions for the adaptation, he knew he’d be perfect for the role of Johnny.
“I always felt [Johnny Cade] sounded like I looked. Big puppy dog eyes, dark hair. He was the runt. I was never the biggest guy in class. But I didn’t come from his backstory by any stretch.”
Macchio auditioned alongside some of the greats
Auditions for The Outsiders attracted a ton of young actors, including Scott Baio, Dennis Quaid, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Unlike most auditions, these were a group effort and required the would-be stars to read various parts in groups chosen by Coppola.
Ultimately, Macchio was selected to play Johnny, a role he seems to have been born for. He started in the film alongside C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, and Emilio Estevez.
Macchio portrayed 16-year-old greaser Johnny Cade, who suffered from a home life far different from his own.
“Johnny was a kid whose mother was an alcoholic. His father was abusive, and home was the last place he wanted to be. Those were the challenges, but I embraced them.”
Apparently, Coppola told Macchio he was “too Long Island” and “too clean” and advised him to sleep outside to help toughen him up for the role.
“I slept outside one night under newspapers just like Johnny did, and it was not fun.”
Despite his look being “too clean,” Macchio’s eternal baby face likely helped him get the role. The Outsiders star was 20 years old during filming in the spring of 1982, a bit older than the teen he portrayed.
He continued to portray teens in the ’80s
Macchio’s performance in The Outsiders helped him land the lead role in The Karate Kid in 1984. He continued to portray a teenage Daniel LaRusso in two follow-up movies despite being closer to 30. His baby face earned him teenage roles for over a decade in films like Teachers, My Cousin Vinny, and Distant Thunder.
These days, you can catch 61-year-old Macchio on Netflix’s Cobra Kai, reprising his role as Daniel LaRusso in an epic spinoff series.