GARDEN CITY, NY — Ralph Macchio, a Long Island son, grew up in front of the eyes of many on an international scale when he starred in movies like “The Karate Kid,” “The Outsiders” and “My Cousin Vinny.”
Macchio, now 62, said he wants to “give back” after gleaning inspiration from a breast cancer scare he and his wife, Phyllis Fierro, endured.
Macchio was recently the guest of honor at the Maurer Foundation’s 2024 Pink Diamond Gala, held Sept. 27 in Garden City. The actor’s message is one of helping the younger generation be more informed and better off than the previous.
When Macchio and Fierro saw Bruce Springsteen on Broadway, Macchio said one of his favorite moments was when Springsteen, now 75, discussed his age.
“[Springsteen] said, ‘The thing I miss the most is the blank page. I don’t have that blank page anymore,'” Macchio told Patch. “It kind of hit me hard, because I’m like, ‘I have room on my page, but it ain’t blank anymore.’ So what do you do? What you do is, take a piece of the legacy and pay it forward. Take something that you feel is either profound or affected you in a way or educates you, and hand that to the next generation. I’m in the business of paying it forward now, personally. That inspires me, and I get inspiration from the younger generation. I think that’s my thing: Give back to Long Island and keep it flourishing. It’s home. This is home. When I’m here, I’m with my people.”
Macchio met Dr. Virginia Maurer when Fierro had a breast cancer scare. He said Maurer’s “beside manner” was what stood out to him.
“The surgeons have the greatest hands but have the conversation ability of a lamppost,” Macchio said. “You meet a lot of surgeons — you need the great hands, because they’re surgeons. But when you’re dealing with something like this — and Phyllis is a nurse practitioner in palliative medicine — it is important to have that nurturing kind of enlightenment to educate and form and yet provide a comfort and feeling that you’re not in it alone. Dr. Maurer has that. We have not had any really intense scares, but there were some scenarios that were like, ‘What if?’ and that mountain it becomes in front of you at the time. And having someone hold your hand without holding your hand is something I recognized with her; she has that quality, as well as all the expertise — and the great hands.”
Maurer founded The Maurer Foundation, based in Melville, in 1995. Maurer, the former chief of the division of breast surgery and former director of NYU Winthrop Hospital’s Breast Health Program, dedicated her professional life to the study and treatment of breast cancer, according to the Maurer Foundation’s website.
Maurer retired from the active practice of surgery in 2022. She and her foundation strive to promote breast cancer education.
She connected with Macchio and Fierro on a personal level and decided to ask Macchio to serve as the guest of honor at the foundation’s 2024 gala. Macchio credited Maurer for calling him and making a pitch.
“She goes, ‘I just think you’re Long Island-based,'” Macchio said. “‘You’re a Long Island son. We’re Long Island predominant, even though we reach globally or nationally, it’s still focused on the community.’ She’s pretty persuasive. Not that she needed to twist my arm. But I don’t know if she was leaving without the answer she wanted to hear, and I respect that. I respect that. There are so many causes, and everyone’s worthy cause is the best one. I can only tell you the amount of, ‘Oh, my brother’s sister’s ex-husband’s wife’s cousin has this charity. Can you come by?’ And it’s all for good. But you have to sometimes tuck that football and drive to the end zone to achieve the goal, and [Dr. Maurer] did that. I’m proud to be here.”
The Maurer Foundation’s core message is promoting action through education. The foundation teaches people how to eat healthier, exercise, and perform breast self-exams.
Macchio hopes to help amplify that message and encouraged school districts, camps and youth programs to allow the foundation to educate the next generation when it comes to “early detection, inspiration and empowerment.”
“Information is power,” Macchio said. “The more our young generation is informed, the more power they have over their own health, mindset. It’s diet, it’s exercise, it’s not as simple as just the breast exams. I’d imagine it’s the whole scope of how you look at your life. If I see a teenager taking that care, it’s trickle down. Or trickle up. It’s contagious. I think the message is, the more schools and communities open their arms toward this, and obviously, raising funds to keep these programs free and accessible for young people, is what this whole night is about.”
Early education inspires Macchio the most about the foundation, he said.
“Passing on the knowledge to the younger generation so they become empowered to carry that message forward and maybe save some lives and get ahead of it,” he said. “Any time you can make the next generation smarter than the previous, I think that’s good work to do.”
Macchio said he isn’t sure if he’s the right person to provide the educational speeches himself when it comes to breast cancer, but he said he would not pass on the opportunity, as he enjoys speaking with high schoolers and the community.
“I do that sometimes for movies I’ve been in like ‘The Outsiders’ or ‘The Karate Kid,'” he said. “They’re sort of inspirational stories or stories where people feel connected to the character, so they’ll listen. In that sense, it’s another way to pay it forward.”
An untitled “The Karate Kid” movie is in post-production, according to IMDB.
Daniel LaRusso will be making an appearance. Macchio said the movie has been shot, and he relished the chance to work with legendary actors, as well as the next wave.
“I got to work with Jackie Chan, which was spectacular. This young kid, Ben Wang, does a great job,” Macchio said. “I look at ‘The Karate Kid’ as this mass universe and this is another ecosystem in there. It’s a new story being told. Daniel LaRusso is connected as the legacy character. The mythology to where it all began. Sort of the Luke Skywalker in all these incarnations. ‘Cobra Kai’ has some more episodes coming, and then the new ‘The Karate Kid’ film is another chapter in that vast – it’s like the Marvel Cinematic Universe – it’s ‘The Karate Kid Cinematic Universe.'”
“Cobra Kai” is a show set decades after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament where LaRusso squared off with Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Now middle-aged themselves, LaRusso and Lawrence find themselves martial-arts rivals again.
The upcoming “The Karate Kid” film and “Cobra Kai” are their own entities, Macchio said, but LaRusso bridges in his life and story that makes sense and informs in different ways.
“It’s the same characters. It’s separated by time, ‘Cobra Kai.’ When you look at it, these six seasons were compressed into about three years. Otherwise, these kids would have been out of college by now. The new ‘The Karate Kid’ movie takes place in present time.”
Macchio, addressing Long Islanders, said this: “Long Island: This is my home, my community. All my teams are doing OK. The Mets are doing OK. The Islanders. The Jets actually can move the football.”
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