Griffin Santopietro has been under the massive spotlight for his intricately crafted and widely-beloved performance in Netflix's action-packed series "Cobra Kai". 

Introduced on our screens as a tech-savvy geek showing absolutely no internet in martial arts to now about to participate in 'Sekai Taikai'; one of the biggest fight tournaments in the entire Cobra Kai world, Santopietro's character "Anthony LaRusso" is all set to show his bold action sequences and his remarkably written transformative arc in the upcoming two final installments of the project. 

Griffin Santopietro recently joined us as our latest cover star to discuss his love for the 'Karate Kid' franchise even prior to being offered the role and officially joining the cast, his own first impressions of Anthony, what it was like meeting Ralph Macchio and his on-screen family, most memorable moments onset, his experience with the stunts rehearsals, what fans can expect from the forthcoming final parts of the highly-anticipated last season of the Netflix project, and all things Cobra Kai. 

Hi there Griffin! Thank you so much for joining us on ReVamp as our latest cover star! How are you doing? 

Hey! Thank you for having me. I’m doing well, just getting ready to start my fall semester at Yale University. 

I would love to begin our conversation by mentioning your impeccable involvement in Netflix's 'Cobra Kai'. You probably have been asked this question a lot before but since this is the final installment, I have to take you back to those early days of this project. 

Talk to me more about what you remember about those early onset experiences as well as how you initially got to play Anthony including your audition process.  

I was only 11 years old when I got the audition for "Cobra Kai". This was before the show transitioned to Netflix, back when it was a Youtube Red Original. I had previously worked on "The Week Of", which was a Netflix original movie with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock, and knew I wanted to continue my acting career. 

I sent in a taped audition, and before I knew it I was working with Ralph Macchio. It has been so amazing to be with the show this long and watch it transform into what it is today. I always think back to those early days on set, watching my castmates in awe. 

Were you a fan of the Karate Kid franchise prior to your involvement or were you introduced to this fascinating world and characters after you were offered the role? 

Who isn't a fan of the Karate Kid? I remember when my grandpa introduced me to that movie, he loved to show me and my brothers the classic movies. Once I began working on the show I really dove into the franchise. 

Anthony was introduced as a young, sassy technology geek who showed absolutely no interest in martial arts which ended up quite contrastingly now that he's about to participate in the biggest fight of his life. 

How do you think your own perceptions pertaining to your character Anthony evolved from when you first started to portray him compared to now that you have successfully completed his arc over the course of all these seasons? 

Both Anthony and I did a lot of growing up over the last 6 seasons. We all remember season one Anthony, and while he was sassy, he really meant well. Around season 4, it felt like Anthony started to come into his own. 

Both Anthony and I were becoming more confident, and I felt like I was able to bring that to the screen. I loved being able to explore Anthony’s interest in martial arts and his relationships with other characters in the later seasons. 

Can you reveal some insights into your training and fight choreography/rehearsals for this role? 

Because Anthony just recently started to gain an interest in Karate, I didn't have a lot of training in the earlier seasons. I actually started to take boxing classes at one of my local gyms to prepare myself for Anthony’s inevitable turn to karate. 

In the last season, I had so much fun working on my fight with Dallas, who plays Kenny. Dallas and I are great friends off the screen so it was fun to choreograph a fight together. 

Having immersed yourself into years of preparation for shooting these sequences, and now that you have officially joined the fighting squad, what is the most memorable move or fighting skill you think you have learnt from portraying your character in the entirety of this show? 

The most memorable fight sequence for me was the ‘Protect the Egg’ exercise in season 5. It was awesome to watch everyone use their own strengths to try and protect their eggs from Chozen. 

It was a memorable filming day on set, there was a lot of fight training for everyone, but it was so cool to watch on the screen. This was also one of Anthony’s first karate scenes so I know it is something I will always remember when I look back on my time on this show. 

I know Anthony has a lot of fascinating sides to him but what according to you is the element that you consider makes him distinct and unique from the other characters in this project? 

Anthony yearns to be included. Having been bullied and treated poorly, Anthony is willing to do whatever it takes to fit in. This leads him to bully Kenny, but also to join Miyagi-do. While he has done both good and bad things because of this need, it has brought him to where he is in season 6. He is a part of Myagi-do, he has friends, and he's ready to prove himself as an individual. 

What was it like meeting Ralph and your onscreen family for the first time? Any memorable experience be it onset or off-set that you will be taking away from working with your Cobra Kai family? 

The first day I was called to set, we were shooting at a country club. I remember meeting Ralph, being 11 years old, I was very nervous for my first day on a new project, but everyone was so sweet. Ralph was so kind and funny and really made me feel at home on the show. 

My best off-set memory is from this season. I was celebrating my 18th birthday and the cast and I went to Top Golf. It was great to have some time to bond away from set, a lot of my castmates are like mentors to me so it meant a lot that they were there. It was one of the best days working on this project. 

What was your experience like on the set for the first day and the last day of the final season? 

Do you remember saying your goodbyes and finally getting to wrap up this beautiful project and part ways with your fellow co-stars and all the phenomenal crew affiliated with the project? 

The first day shooting season six felt like the first day of senior year. We all knew each other and felt familiar on set, but we all knew it would be over soon. None of it seemed real until the final stretch of filming. It felt like everyone was emotional. 

Saying goodbye on my last day was when reality really set in. I have known a lot of these people almost half of my life! They felt like family to me. Now looking back, I am so thankful I got to work with all these wonderful people. 

Huge congratulations on your recent graduation! What a massive accomplishment! 

So, pertaining to this wonderful educational milestone, I would love to know how you personally managed both acting and education and amalgamated these elements together when it came to factors like time management? 

Thank you! Filming the last season of Cobra Kai during my senior year of highschool felt like I had double the graduations to prepare for. Balancing my acting career and school was never easy, but it helped me to learn valuable time management skills. 

Some days, we would shoot for 10 hours and I would have 4 hours of homework to do when I got back to my hotel. It taught me that I was a lot more capable than I could even imagine. 

Is there anything you can tell us about the upcoming final installments of "Cobra Kai"? 

I can’t say much, but I will say I hope you guys are ready to see Anthony now that he's a part of Miyagi-do. I cannot wait for you guys to see what we have in store for you. 

Thank you for joining us for this interview, Griffin! Wishing you lots of luck on the launch of this final installment!

Lastly, what's next for you, Griffin? Anything we can expect from you apart from 'Cobra Kai' be it in terms of your acting career or otherwise and any message you'd like to convey to your fans currently reading this interview? 

Thank you again for having me! I have a lot of stuff in the works right now, so be on the lookout. My next adventure is going to be continuing my studies at Yale this fall. 

And to any fans reading this, I want to thank you for being a part of Anthony’s journey, and I hope you are ready for the final chapter. 

Cobra Kai is currently streaming on Netflix.