PubliciTeeZ Karate Kid Cobra Kai Logo T-Shirt

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Three decades after his diabolical turn as Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese in The Karate Kid, Martin Kove still can intimidate moviegoers. The 68-year-old actor, who will join fellow cast members Billy Zabka and Ralph Macchio at a 30th anniversary screening and Q&A as part of New York Super Week in Manhattan Saturday, says that his character's enduring menace still has the ability to freak people out in real life. "Billy and I had an experience in San Antonio. People really think that we're that much of hard asses," Kove tells For The Win. "We're walking through this corridor and one of the security guys sneezes. The guy was about five feet away and he sneezes. He looks at us and says 'excuse me' and he realizes who's passing him as he sneezes. And he cowered like we were going to kill him for sneezing. We cracked up. He looked at us and you could see the change in expression in his face. When he looked at us it actually stopped us from walking he was saying 'I'm so sorry. I'm really sorry' like we were going to hurt him. I hadn't really noticed the sneeze. I think I said 'Bless you.'" "It happens all the time. People always think you're that character. Especially when Billy and I are together. Little kids used to punch me in the supermarket and their mothers would have to come up and apologize."