Ralph Macchio, 59, and William Zabka, 55, were mortal enemies in The Karate Kid (1985), but he's opening up about how their real-life friendship is closer than ever.

Macchio told ExtraTV:
“We better be buddies now — when we made the Karate Kid film, every time Billy and I were working together, I was getting my ass kicked… There wasn’t camaraderie between us.”
Things have progressed because they're entering another season of the Karate Kid spin-off series Cobra Kai, which is a big hit. Of the closeness the series encourages, Macchio reports:
“I have a greater deal of respect for William every season [of Cobra Kai].”
Watch Season 3 of Cobra Kai on Netflix January 8, and check out Macchio's ExtraTV interview here: