Courtney Henggeler Dishes on Working With William Zabka

Since Cobra Kai‘s premiere in 2018, actress Courtney Henggeler has portrayed Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) wife and business partner Amanda. The character sometimes interacts with her husband’s long-time rival, Johnny Lawerence, played by William Zabka. Amanda does not share Daniel’s animosity towards the Eagle Fang owner. In fact, she views their rivalry to be childish.

Henggeler Recently Discussed Working With Zabka

GettyWilliam Zabka strikes a pose at the premiere of “Where Hope Grows” in 2015.

Recently, Henggeler discussed working with Zabka during an interview with Awards Radar. She noted that Cobra Kai has a humorous tone, as the show’s co-creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg have a background in making comedies, including Hot Tub Time Machine and the Harold & Kumar movies.

She went on to say that members of the Cobra Kai cast are naturally funny. She then revealed that she believes “Billy Zabka is just the funniest thing in the world.” The 42-year-old noted that before Cobra Kai Season 1 was in production,  she did not expect the actor to have comedy chops.

“I don’t know if anybody knew — probably — maybe I’m just in a bubble — how funny he actually is,” said the actress. “I remember at the table reading going like, ‘how is this going to work out,’ and the moment he opened his mouth I was just like, ‘oh my god he’s hilarious, he’s so funny.’ His timing is very amusing to me.”

During the same interview, the mother-of-two stated that she enjoyed the Karate Kid films before being cast on Cobra Kai. She also disclosed that her husband, producer Ross Kohn, has a strong fondness for both the franchise and Zabka. 

“My husband is a huge Karate Kid — huge just William Zabka fan in general. He could just list off all the movies. He’s like, ‘here’s another Billy Zabka movie, Courtney. Let’s watch this one.’ Just a huge fan,” said the actress.

She also disclosed that she was intimidated to work with the original Karate Kid cast members.

“You know, this is their world. They’re so well versed in the Karate Kid universe. This is what they’ve been living in for the past 30 years, so as an outsider, you kind of like walk in and you’re like, ‘can I play with you guys?’” explained the actress. 

She clarified, however, that “they’re so wonderful about it [and] so inclusive.”

The Actress Previously Commented on Having Zabka as a Co-Star

GettyWilliam Zabka and Ralph Macchio speak at the 2019 Comic-Con in San Diego.

This is not the first time that Henggeler has publicly praised Zabka. While speaking to Newsday in January, she shared that acting alongside the 54-year-old and the “Karate Kid” himself, Ralph Macchio, has been a pleasant experience. She noted that both actors “could not be more lovely.”

She disclose, however, working with Zabka and Macchio “was very surreal.” In particular, she needed time to get used to interacting with the My Cousin Vinny star. 

“I called Ralph ‘Ralph Macchio’ — one word. I couldn’t get over the fact that this was my TV husband I’m talking to. And off-set we’re talking about our kids! Like, I’m talking about Ralph Macchio’s kids? He was like, ‘It’s just Ralph. You can just call me Ralph.’ That finally stopped around Season Three,” recalled the actress. 

To see more of Henggeler and Zabka, be sure to watch Cobra Kai Season 3, available on Netflix. 

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