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Few actors have found a character so beloved by fans that they get to play him for 40 years — but Ralph Macchio is that guy in the _Karate Kid_ and _Cobra Kai_ franchises. Sweet and

vulnerable, yet manly, not afraid to be in love, Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso was the heartthrob of every ’80s tween. This month, Macchio reprises the role in _Karate Kid: Legends_, passing his

tenugui (headband) to Ben Wang as the bullied kid and starring Jackie Chan as his sensei. AARP recently spoke to Macchio about his journey from _Karate Kid_ to Karate Bro to Karate Elder

Statesman, and what it’s like to be both an American icon and a suburban dad. 1. HE’S BEEN AN UNDERDOG ICON FOR 40-PLUS YEARS The first _Karate Kid_ was when I was 22, and I’m still playing

that character. Sometimes it has been great, and sometimes it has been confining. But I take pride in paying the legacy forward. AARP caught up with Ralph Macchio, who this month reprises

his iconic role in “Karate Kid: Legends,” the next installment in the long-running series. Tom Corbett 2. A HOOFER WANNABE I took dance as a kid. I wanted to be Gene Kelly from the moment I

first saw those MGM musicals. 3. HE WANTED TO GROW UP FASTER THAN HE DID I’d been in _Eight Is Enough_, then got this part in _The Outsiders,_ an amazing movie with an amazing cast. I

thought I was beyond the teen-heartthrob thing, answering questions like, “What’s your favorite color?” for magazines. But when I went to see [_Outsiders_ director Francis Ford] Coppola, he

had a bunch of teen magazines on his desk because he was figuring out who kids wanted to see. So here’s my note to a young person: Be careful what you think you might know at a young age. 4.

THE ’80S TEEN CRUSH ONLY FELL FOR ONE GIRL I got to work with beautiful, dynamic actresses like Elisabeth Shue and Marisa Tomei _(My Cousin Vinny_), so people are like, _well, who was the

one?_ And I know this is lame, but my girlfriend-wife was the one. We met at like 15, 16 — and I wasn’t looking anyplace else. 5. HE DIDN’T STRAY VERY FAR I was a Long Island kid, and I

still live in the ’burbs. My parents are there — they’ll be the first ones grabbing this article, I’m sure. We all get _AARP The Magazine _now! 6. HE ONLY RECENTLY TOOK UP MARTIAL ARTS In

the ’80s, I was like, “Are we done shooting?” Getting kicked is not fun. But in the past seven or eight years — since I went back to playing my _Karate Kid_ character on _Cobra Kai _—

I’ve gotten into martial arts. But no, I don’t start the day kicking and punching. Screaming, maybe, but not kicking and punching. (From left) Jackie Chan, Ben Wang and Ralph Macchio in

“Karate Kid: Legends.” Jonathan Wenk/SONY Pictures 7. YOU’D THINK SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TRIED TO PICK A FIGHT WITH HIM When we were shooting the final fight sequence of _Karate Kid, _the

assistant director said, “You know, I worked on _Rocky,_ and Stallone has to deal with people confronting him all the time, so you might be dealing with that.” I had this fear like, _When

this movie comes out, everyone’s going to beat the crap out of me._ I wish I had that story. But they just look at me and go like, “Eh, he’s fine.” 8. HE KEEPS IT REAL Will I be playing this

role in my walker? Maybe, if there’s genuine honesty and it feels fresh. I’ve learned to never say never.