Warning: SPOILERS for Cobra Kai Season 4.
Kenny Payne (Dallas Dupree Young) is a major new character in Cobra Kai season 4 who makes a huge impact. A middle schooler bullied by Daniel LaRusso's (Ralph Macchio) son, Anthony (Griffin Santopietro), Kenny becomes the youngest member of Cobra Kai and develops the confidence to fight back. But although he's mentored by Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan), Cobra Kai unleashes Kenny's dark side in a fascinating twist on Daniel's story in The Karate Kid.
Screen Rant interviewed Dallas Dupree Young about his experience joining Cobra Kai in season 4, training with and fighting Tanner Buchanan's Robby, Kenny's brush with the dark side, and why Dallas would join Cobra Kai in real life.
Screen Rant: Congrats on joining Cobra Kai! Were you already a fan of the show when you got cast?
Dallas Dupree Young: Yes, I was already a fan of the show. As soon as I found out I was a finalist for Kenny, I wanted to watch all of the series just to see how [Cobra Kai] continued the whole Daniel LaRusso vs. Johnny Lawrence [William Zabka] rivalry. I honestly fell in love with the show as soon as I saw it. Every one of the seasons was perfectly executed. The creators have such a vision and I saw it as soon as I watched it. I thought it was incredible. I'm so happy to be a part of it.
In the show, Kenny goes from knowing nothing about karate to the semifinals of the All Valley in just a few weeks. Tell us about your training. It must have been intense.
Dallas Dupree Young: Yes, we did have to undergo a lot of intense training throughout the entire year, but it was really exciting and exhilarating because [the cast] had such an amazing time together. We all got to train at the same time so I got to work with some of the kids and some of the adults. It was really cool being in that environment so we could all grow together and keep learning. I had such a fun time learning the stunt choreography with the stunt coordinator, Don Lee, and his whole team. We had such a great time but it was very intense.
What were your favorite moves? Was there something specific you really liked doing?
Dallas Dupree Young: Yes, I really liked doing the sweep kick in episode 7. I really loved doing that, especially when we were practicing for it. I was struggling at first because I didn't know how to do it. They showed me an easier way because I was a newbie at it. And then I did it and I executed it onscreen as well.
One of the cool things about Kenny is that he’s kind of telling Daniel’s original story in The Karate Kid from a different perspective. Kenny is kind of Daniel and Robby tries to be his version of Mr. Miyagi.
Dallas Dupree Young: I thought that was incredible. I loved it. I loved the idea of me being the young Daniel LaRusso. [Cobra Kai's producers] very clear to me at the beginning. They even said in the script that [Kenny's] lifestyle is similar to Daniel LaRusso's. It was very important to me because it was really cool to fill such huge shoes, honestly. To get the opportunity to be like [Daniel], that lifestyle, to go through the struggle, and go through all of the motions to become better and better at karate. I loved it.
It was made clear to me at the beginning. [The producers] said they had a very creative vision for Kenny. They wanted him to keep going. But I loved that idea [of Kenny rebooting The Karate Kid].
It’s pretty cool to come into the Cobra Kai franchise and your character is feuding with a LaRusso. That’s a pretty big deal. That's like Johnny-level stuff.
Dallas Dupree Young: Definitely! For sure. I love that idea too! I had no idea [Kenny's rival] was going to be Anthony LaRusso. I remember reading the script and being so excited to have the opportunity to work with Griffin Santopietro. I was like, "Oh my goodness, I'm gonna be fighting Daniel LaRusso's son!"
Cobra Kai and the Karate Kid is about bullying and underdogs. Anthony and his friends are ridiculously mean to Kenny and we want him to fight back. Even though he joins Cobra Kai, the “bad” dojo, I think Kenny is still the good guy.
Dallas Dupree Young: I believe I am until... I believe I go a little overboard in episode 7, which is okay because I did have my comeback. I think it was really important for Kenny to have that turning point in his mentality. And then in episode 10, he destroyed Anthony LaRusso. But I believe Kenny is still the good guy. But now, he's just a little bit misunderstood towards the end [of Cobra Kai season 4]. I don't know how people are gonna feel about that. But it was really cool and I believe Kenny's still the good guy.
What’s it like working with Tanner Buchanan and what's it like fighting Robby as Kenny?
Dallas Dupree Young: That's a really good question. Working with Tanner Buchanan was such an incredible experience for me. It honestly helped me grow as an actor, a person, and a martial artist too. I remember my first day on set. It was an unofficial day, I was just there for training and so the stunt choreography team can meet me.
[Tanner] decided to take time out of his day to visit me, get to know me, show me the ropes a little bit, tell me a rundown of everything they do on Cobra Kai and what they're gonna do all season. And it meant so much to me. So he was always like my mentor throughout the entire season. He would just help me with any question that I had and just encourage me to keep going even though I'm like the youngest one on set. And he always made me feel comfortable too. That was really important to me.
But fighting him! Tanner is a beast, to be honest. He is a beast! He's so strong and his technique is perfect. He'd help me, he'd go slow with me, help me find my technique, find my precision so I can just get through the motions and everything. I really enjoy working with him and fighting him was a great experience.
Who do you think is the best fighter among all of the students?
Dallas Dupree Young: Among all of the students? And you're talking about the actors, right? Not the characters? Then Jacob [Bertrand, who plays Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz]. I always tell him this: He's elite. He's [false modest], "No, no, I'm okay!" No, he's elite. He knows exactly what he's doing. It looks like he's been doing karate since he was 5 years old. He's great.
I also want to know about Kenny’s favorite video game, Dungeon Lord Legacies. Did they actually make the game for the show and did you get to play it or was it all added in later?
Dallas Dupree Young: It was actually added in later! They had a green screen for me. Even with the alarm in episode 2, everything was green screen. They directed me and told me where I should push [buttons], where I should look at. They said, "Push this like you're building." But when I actually saw it, it came out perfectly! It worked great. But no, everything was green screen.
Kenny’s obviously a Cobra Kai in season 4 but what about Dallas? Which dojo would you join?
Dallas Dupree Young: I said it from the beginning when I first booked the show and I'm gonna still keep that answer: I would be in Cobra Kai! Honestly, I love Cobra Kai. Even though people say it's the more evil side of the Force, I just feel like I would learn so much about karate there. And no disrespect to the other dojos. I love their dojos. No, I would definitely choose Cobra Kai because it's really cool.
Maybe the biggest mystery in Cobra Kai season 4 is: How did they get all that milk in Kenny’s locker?
Dallas Dupree Young: I'm gonna be honest: I have no idea how they did it from a reality standpoint. It was my last scene on set and it was like my third day filming. I remember they said, "We only have one shot." I said, "Let's do this!" I went up there and everyone was filming me in the background, so when I looked over [to the side] like you saw in the video, I saw all of the creators filming me and acting like they were students and laughing. That was really cool. But I have no idea how they put that milk in that locker.
You guys wrapped Cobra Kai season 5 just before Christmas. I loved season 4 but heard from some of the other cast that season 5 is even better?
Dallas Dupree Young: Season 5 is the best season yet. It's strong, all of the characters keep elevating, and it's really cool.
Cobra Kai Season 4 is streaming on Netflix.