Cobra Kai Star Tanner Buchanan's All-Time Favorite Movie May Surprise You - Exclusive
While Tanner Buchanan had a major supporting role in the acclaimed Kiefer Sutherland presidential drama "Designated Survivor," there's no question that his turn in the "Karate Kid" spinoff series "Cobra Kai" is the actor's most high-profile project to date. Thanks to the interesting story arc of his character, Robby Keene — the estranged son of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) — Buchanan has had the rare opportunity over the first three seasons to share scenes with every major actor in the series, including Ralph Macchio, Mary Mouser, Peyton List, and Xolo Maridueña.
Now, in Season 4 of "Cobra Kai," Buchanan gets to add more flair to his performance when he busts some moves on a dance floor. In a way, Buchanan told Looper in an exclusive interview, his dance sensibilities have always been utilized in "Cobra Kai," since karate is very much about rhythm.
"I grew up a dancer and to be honest, it was [a skill I've been using] every season. It is about rhythm and it's also learning choreography, and truly anytime we have a fight, we always talk about it," Buchanan said. "You are fighting each other, but we always say it's a dance partner because you each have moves, you have to be able to read each other and feel that out, [and] have that rhythm. So, it's extremely similar."
Whether he's combining the skills with karate or not, dancing has been so influential in Buchanan's life that it's the basis of his all-time favorite movie.
Singin' in the Rain made Buchanan want to become a performer
The 1952 movie musical "Singin' in the Rain" is remarkable for several reasons. It showcased the talents of legendary actors Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor, the title track became a classic song, and the film came in at No. 10 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years ... 100 movies" list, celebrating the 100 greatest movies of all time.
On top of all that, "Singin' in the Rain" also happens to be Buchanan's all-time favorite movie. "Well, obviously growing up a dancer, the one that influenced me a lot to wanting to perform and kind of do all that was 'Singin' in the Rain.' I grew up in a small town in Ohio, so let's just put it this way, I was the only guy that danced, and to this day I'm one of very few that have danced," Buchanan shared with Looper. "So, with Gene Kelly, I was like, 'Wow, he's a guy and he dances, and he's cool and he's performing.' I thought, 'I love this and that's what I want to do.' So that [movie] was the big one for me."
You can see Buchanan perform karate and dance moves on Season 4 of "Cobra Kai," now streaming on Netflix.