Xolo Maridueña says his time filming Cobra Kai helped prepare him to play Jaime Reyes in DC’s Blue Beetle.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Maridueña was asked if there was anything he learned on the set of Cobra Kai that he tapped into for Blue Beetle.
“One hundred percent,” Maridueña answered. “Both William Zabka and Ralph Macchio displayed what it means to be number one on the call sheet, with the way they carried themselves and the way they interacted with everyone. Not only the cast, but the crew, too; they made everyone feel like they belonged. I was affected by it, and it made me confident in being an actor and as a kid who was a little nervous as to what this world was like.
“So, when it finally came down to Blue Beetle, and it was my turn to be number one on the call sheet, all I wanted to do was make everyone feel like they had made me feel. I wanted to come to set the most prepared and the most exhilarated and ready to receive everyone’s love, and vice versa.”
Blue Beetle is Xolo Maridueña’s first major film release
While Maridueña appeared in 2013’s Dealin’ with Idiots, the Cobra Kai actor has largely built a name for himself in television up until this point. In addition to Netflix’s Karate Kid sequel series, Maridueña has also played roles in episodes of Parenthood, Batwheels, and more.
Directed by Angel Manuel Soto with a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, Blue Beetle also stars Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, George Lopez, and Harvey Guillén. The film was originally intended to premiere on HBO Max until Warner Bros. decided to give it a full theatrical release in December 2021.
Blue Beetle releases theatrically in the United States on August 18, 2023.
