Why Cheyenne From Cobra Kai Season 4 Looks So Familiar
Netflix's "Cobra Kai" is a perfect combination of fan-service nostalgia and fresh ideas for the modern age. While the comedy-drama has rekindled the rivalries that began back in 1984's "Karate Kid," the show has introduced viewers to an array of younger characters and reinvigorated the franchise in the process. Viewers no doubt first tuned in to see William Zabka, Ralph Macchio, and other franchise veterans do their thing, only to become equally enamored with newcomers such as Mary Mouser, Xolo Maridueña, and Tanner Buchanan.
Season 4 of "Cobra Kai" brought some new players into the mix. Salome Azizi might not be a household name yet, but she has cropped up in some popular television shows in recent years. "Cobra Kai," in which she plays Cheyenne, will undoubtedly raise her profile even more and lead to the Iranian-born performer being cast in even more interesting projects down the line. Until then, let's chronicle her acting journey so far and dig into some of her more popular roles.
Salome Azizi shows up in American Wrestler: The Wizard
Salome Azizi is no stranger to appearing in projects about young people with a passion for combat sports. In 2016, she starred in "American Wrestler: The Wizard" (via IMDb), a drama about Ali Jahani (George Thomas), an Iranian immigrant who moves to California in the early 1980s and becomes an amateur wrestling standout. Away from the mat, Ali deals with prejudice and other outside pressures. Azizi plays the protagonist's mother in the movie.
"American Wrestler" currently boasts an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, though some critics have taken issue with the film's formulaic sports movie elements. That said, it appears to have gone down well with viewers who are fans of underdog narratives and competitive fight scenes.
Azizi reprised her role in the 2019 sequel "American Fighter" (via IMDb), which sees her character fighting for her life due to an illness. To raise the money for the treatment she needs to survive, her son turns to the world of underground fighting and gets a rude awakening. The film co-stars Tommy Flanagan ("Sons of Anarchy") and Sean Patrick Flanery ("The Boondock Saints").
Salome Azizi played a doctor on Black-ish
ABC's hit family sitcom "Black-ish" is one of the more thought-provoking television comedies out there. The series, which chronicles a Black family living in a predominantly white upper-class neighborhood, has been praised for its diverse cast and willingness to engage with hot-button subject matter such as social inequality and race relations (per Rotten Tomatoes). Yet it does so in a way that's broad and accessible for general audiences to enjoy.
According to her IMDb profile, Salome Azizi appears in two Season 3 episodes as the super pleasant Doctor Aziz. Her debut is in the controversial episode titled "God," which drew criticism from some fans for supposedly pushing a pro-religious agenda (via IMDb). Most of the story revolves around theological debating, but Azizi's character is called to perform a sonogram at one stage. The performer makes another appearance in a late Season 3 episode titled "Sprinkles." In this chapter, Dr. Aziz helps Bow (Tracee Ellis Ross) when she starts experiencing complications with her pregnancy.
Azizi takes on a villainous role in Stargate Origins
Catherine Langford is a familiar character in the "Stargate" universe, having appeared in the 1994 movie, as well as spinoff series including 1997's "Stargate SG-1" and 2018's "Stargate Origins." In the latter series, the formidable researcher (played by Ellie Gall) encounters a complicated alien queen known as Aset, played by none other than Salome Azizi.
As the television show's IMDb page notes, the actor appears in eight episodes of the sci-fi web series, resulting in one of her more substantial projects to date. In a September 2018 interview with Gateworld, Azizi revealed that she gravitated towards the role as it allowed her to play a nuanced character who's hard to define.
While some fans view Aset as an antagonist in the "Stargate" universe, Azizi has a more optimistic opinion of the character. "She was just somebody who was fighting to keep her child alive and to make this a better world for her people," she recalled. "And so she did whatever she needed to do. Maybe she hurt some people along the way, but it was really for the better of the people and her world."
She had a few NCIS cameos
It's not uncommon for rising stars to pass through "NCIS" on their road to the top. The crime drama has been going strong since 2003 and many performers have used it as a platform to raise their profiles. It's a wise career move for any star considering it remains one of the most popular shows on the small screen, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Salome Azizi is one of the many actors who has appeared in a handful of episodes throughout the years.
The actor has appeared in four installments of CBS's hit procedural series thus far, spread across multiple seasons, per her IMDb page. She's mainly been featured in bit-part roles that have seen her play uncredited correspondent and journalist characters, but she's shown up enough times for "NCIS" fans to potentially recognize her.
While Azizi has yet to become a series regular in "NCIS," she cites the series as one of the shows that gave her an opportunity to show how versatile she is as a performer. "I've been lucky enough to have quite varied characters to play," she told Gateworld in 2018, before going on to highlight other key performances that have been mentioned on this list.