At the age of 21, Xolo Maridueña’s acting career is just now starting to take off. The California-born star has made a name for himself starring in the martial arts comedy-drama Cobra Kai on Netflix.
Cobra Kai is a sequel series to The Karate Kid films of the ‘80s and and the ‘90s. Before his time on the show, Maridueña was known for his work as a main cast member in NBC’s Parenthood. That particular family comedy-drama series was his very first professional acting gig.
It is Cobra Kai which seems to be really defining Maridueña’s life at the moment, however. As well as the fame and success that he has garnered from the show, the actor’s love life has also been impacted by his time there.
One of Maridueña’s co-stars in Cobra Kai is Hannah Kepple, with whom he was in a relationship for a while after they met on the set of the Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg series.
Still, these career and romantic perks that Maridueña has enjoyed are not the full picture when it comes to just how much he has benefited working on Cobra Kai.
What Role Does Xolo Maridueña Play In Cobra Kai?
The original Karate Kid movies usually focused on teenagers who were taken under the wing of karate master Mr. Miyagi in order to be able to stand up for themselves against bullies. Actors Ralph Macchio and William Zabka found themselves pitted against each other as the characters Daniel LaRusso and John “Johnny” Lawrence.
This rivalry is rekindled in Cobra Kai, as expressed in one plot summary on IMDb: ‘Thirty years after their final confrontation at the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, Johnny Lawrence is at rock-bottom as an unemployed handyman haunted by his wasted life. However, when Johnny rescues bullied kid Miguel from tormentors, he is inspired to restart the notorious Cobra Kai dojo.’
‘However, this revitalization of his life and related misunderstandings find Johnny restarting his old rivalry with Daniel LaRusso, a successful businessman who may be happily married, but is missing an essential balance in life since the death of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi,’ the synopsis reads on.
Xolo Maridueña plays the kid Miguel Diaz who is rescued by Johnny, and is described as ‘an asthmatic and naïve 15 year old teenager with no self-defense reflexes.’
How Much Does Xolo Maridueña Earn For His Role In Cobra Kai?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Xolo Maridueña has already accrued wealth valued north of $2 million. Although this is a relatively modest net worth by Hollywood standards, it is still quite impressive, especially for someone who only turned 21 just two months ago.
A good chunk of that would have been earned from his work in Cobra Kai. The actor is reportedly paid around $70,000 to feature in one episode of the show. The drama premiered on Netflix in May 2018, and has now been on air for four seasons of ten episodes each.
Maridueña has appeared in every one of those episodes. Assuming his salary remained constant throughout this spell, he would have earned a total of $2.8 million so far, albeit before tax deductions as well as agent fees, and so on.
It would also appear that the only way is up from here on out for Maridueña, who is set to play the titular character in an upcoming DCEU movie titled Blue Beetle.
How Does Xolo Maridueña Feel About Working In Cobra Kai?
It would be a little unfair to box Xolo Maridueña’s career so far into the Cobra Kai box, as he has played some other big roles as well. In fact, his tenure in Parenthood lasted even longer, as he featured in 51 episodes of the show.
Playing a character called Victor Graham, he started out in a guest role in Season 3, before being promoted to being a regular cast member between Season 4 to 6. Maridueña has also appeared in TV shows like Major Crimes, Rush Hour, Twin Peaks and The Boys Presents: Diabolical.
That being said, Cobra Kai has clearly had a bigger impact on him than any other project he has been involved in. Speaking in an interview with Teen Vogue earlier this year, Maridueña revealed just what it meant for him to have been a part of the show.
“I’m really blessed to say that we’ve been working on a show for five years where truly everyone still loves each other,” he said. “It all feels very surreal. Because in the grand scheme of things, it's happened fairly quickly.”
