But with boyish charms and youthful energy, it's easy to forget that Wang isn't a kung fu wunderkind like he appears in Karate Kid: Legends."I feel a privilege," Wang told me over Zoom last week, just before Legends debuted nationwide this past Friday.

Ten years ago, the idea of reviving The Karate Kid franchise with its original star might have seemed fanciful even for nostalgia-obsessed Hollywood. But in 2017, Netflix series Cobra Kai – which caught up with the characters of the 80s films – proved a cult hit that ran for six seasons,