In most of the “Karate Kids” movies, you’ll often see a teen hero and an absolute blockhead of a bully. The original movie of this series featured Ralph Macchio getting mercilessly beaten up before he finally beat William Zabka. However, later their rival characters became friends in “Cobra Kai.” After that, there’s 1994’s “The Next Karate Kid” that gave us Hilary Swank vs. young Walton Goggins. In this article, you’ll learn more about the new Karate Kids of ‘Legends’: Ben Wang and Aramis Knight.
“Karate Kid: Legends”
Now, a couple of new enemies, both 25, enter the squabble in “Karate Kid: Legends” which is already released in theaters. The actor Ben Wang plays Li Fong, a kung-fu trained youngster who recently moved to New York City. While Aramis Knight plays the role of Conor Day, a karate-champ classmate who gets furious after the newcomer becomes friends with Conor’s ex (played by Sadie Stanley).
There are trash talks and beatdowns that ultimately lead to a face-off in a championship fight of a local karate tournament. As per director Jonathan Entwistle, Wang has a certain “Marty McFly quality” to him, playing a Chinese character similar to Peter Parker. He also told Knight that he was playing something quite iconic which is a “bad guy in a pretty cool outfit”.
Only time will tell if their characters will end this disdain for each other 30 years from now, “Cobra Kai” style, for a Netflix show. But besides that, fans of the new “Karate Kid” movie must know more about the new characters Wang and Knight.
Ben Wang Has a Similar Origin Story to New “Karate Kid”
In “Legends”, Li Fong shifts from his native undefined with his mother (Ming-Na Wen). Wang finds a similarity to his own life story, but with a small twist. The twist is that he moved from Shanghai to small-town Northfield, Minnesota, with his mom when he was 6, and ended up at drama school in the Big Apple. “I did not have to dig very deep for a lot of the stuff. The hardest part was the squats”, says Wang who also starred in the Disney + series “Mean Girls” and “Chang Can Dunk.”
His next film is the Stephen King dystopian horror adaptation “The Long Walk”, which will be released in theaters on September 12. Besides that, Wang has also been cast in upcoming year’s “Hunger Games” prequel “Sunrise on the Reaping.”
Wang Trained in Martial Arts Early
Similar to his “Karate Kid” character, Wang began early training in martial arts. He often did after-school taekwondo and also studied other Chinese forms such as Wing Chun Kung Fu. However, the action aspect came when he realized, “I wasn’t any good at sports, and I wanted friends.”
Wang’s first play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” came at the age of 10 but according to him, “it wasn’t Shakespeare’s ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream.” He further continued “Still, “I was like, oh, I’ve never actually had that kind of fun before in my life. I mean, I had no plan to do it professionally, but it ended up working out for the best.”
Aramis Knight Gained his Martial Arts Experience in the Badlands
Though Knight seems nothing more than a Hollywood newcomer, he has already built a unique 20-year career, on shows such as “Lost,” “Dexter” and “NCIS.” He also played movie roles in “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Ender’s Game.” But the most stable thing about Knight’s career is that he starred in the post-apocalyptic drama “Into the Badlands” as well as Marvel’s “Ms. Marvel.”
“Badlands” was “the perfect crash course” in martial arts, and costar Daniel Wu became his mentor in wushu. The night he heard he got the role, “I remember me and my mom just thinking like, ‘Damn, how am I going to do this?'” While he was “fairly athletic” and played a lot of basketball when he was younger, “I was not flexible at all,” he says.
After further training and doing the show for three seasons, “I’m pretty sure I tore and rebuilt every muscle imaginable just to get to the point where I’m at now,” Knight says. “I’m by no means an expert, but I’m no slouch either. I can definitely look like I’m quite good at it.”
Knight Wants to Play Bigger Than Life Characters
Knight desires to play “bigger-than-life, almost unrecognizable” characters, yet “it’s harder when you’re young to play those like Gary Oldman-esque parts,” he says. Being a karate villain is the right step in that character actor direction.
“You kind of get the free pass to do things that you wouldn’t normally do in your real life. Just be a little more disrespectful than Aramis would personally ever be,” Knight says. “I’m a big part in Li Fong becoming this triumphant hero. There’s got to be sort of a fall from grace, and that’s really what Conor is for Li.
Ben Wang Did Most of His Own Stunts in That Final Fight
The director Jonathan Entwistle knew he had to ensure the action moved quickly to get to the final fight which would see Li and Connor in a face-off. He says “I wanted to get through the tournaments so that I could get to what is essentially a 12-minute martial arts sequence with very little dialogue.”
Entwistle also called on the stunt coordinator to help pull it off. Zhang was aware that every movie had a signature move. Before he even read the script, he knew he had to find one for Ben. Zhang says If Danny had the Crane Kick in the first film “The Karate Kid,” what would be fitting for Li? Zhang landed on a triple kick and he found a stunt double, A.J. Anthony, who could land the move. “This one would be for modern, young kids. They’re really excited about this different level.”
Zhang finally ended up coordinating how this would progress throughout the movie. “He tries to use it in the beginning, and it’s not successful, and then Jackie and Daniel come to train him,” Zhang explains. “Everything leads up to that final battle. Connor knows he’s going to use this kick, but we see Li set up the trap.”
He also revealed that Wang did most of the work in the final fight but trained quite hard to get there. Zhang further added that “Ben’s very physical and I thought he was good, but after our training, he took some hard hits. He worked hard to be that character.”
End Note
Ben Wang and Aramis Knight bring fresh energy to Karate Kid: Legends, blending real-life experience with intense martial arts training. Their dynamic performances and on-screen rivalry mark a bold new beginning and era for the franchise. As the series’s legacy continues, these rising stars a
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