A manuscript written by the late Karate child star Pat Morita, sharing his life story in his own words, was the catalyst of an inspiring yet heartbreaking documentary More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story.
“Over there [were] some really dark stuff, ”said film producer Oscar Alvarez Yahoo Canada. ‘I would say the manuscript was the blueprint of everything and that got us excited, especially since he had talked about his early years and those are the things you don’t know before sir. Miyagi. “
Comes from the heels of the Cobra Kai release on Netflix, Karate child actors including Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, Happy Days stars like Henry Winkler and Marion Ross, and other celebrities including Tommy Chong, Larry Miller and Esai Morales, tell their personal stories about Morita – the man known to millions as’ Mr. Miyagi. “What is particularly striking is that Morita was not only important to fans of his work, but also to his colleagues.
Alvarez believes that so many people still don’t know about the Japanese-American actor. The producer revealed that he recently spoke to someone who didn’t even know Morita had been nominated for an Oscar for his role in The karate kid. We learn in the documentary that Macchio still wishes he’d gone to the 1985 Academy Awards with Morita.
For anyone who has one Karate child fan, there are many memories from fellow cast members about the making of those films, including the famous ‘wax on, wax off’ moment and discussions in the studio that don’t want Morita Mr. Miyagi is playing, due to concerns about casting a comedic actor who played Arnold on Happy Days in the role.
The documentary also provides more context on how Morita developed the legendary character Arnold, who has a connection to the cook who worked at Morita’s parents’ Chinese restaurant.
Even if you are not the greatest Karate child fan or you never really watched Happy Days, there is plenty to learn about Morita in it More than Miyagi that will keep someone’s attention.
“I think people need to understand how much he has accomplished in his career, given everything [the] obstacles, ”said Alvarez.
From a bodycast, to an internment camp, to the stage
Diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis at the age of two, Morita spent nine years in a hospital, immobilized in a cast for seven years. An experimental operation allowed him to beat the odds and run again, but just a few years later, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 triggered another traumatic moment in Morita’s life.
When Morita was able to leave the hospital in California at the age of 11, he was taken by the FBI to an internment camp with other Japanese Americans in Arizona.
This is really just part of the complicated life Morita led, living his dream of becoming an entertainer, starting out as a stand-up comedian under the same agent as fellow comedian Lenny Bruce. You’ve probably heard that name if you’re a fan of the Amazon series The wonderful Mrs. Maisel.
Morita’s third wife, Evelyn Guerrero, is actually Bruce’s cousin. She originally met her husband when she was a teenager, but they got back together later in life and got married. Much of the film is told through her story, sharing her personal memories of their lives together, including the impact Morita’s alcohol consumption had on their relationship.
More than Miyagi shows the grim and tragic reality of Morita’s alcoholism, a major factor that led to his death in November 2005. The film reveals an incredibly heartbreaking moment with the cast of Happy Days during the show’s 30-year reunion, where Morita’s drinking prevented him from participating in all events with the cast.
‘That hit me at home because I had an uncle who lived with us for about, maybe two or three years of my life [when] I was in high school and I know what it’s like, ”said Alvarez Yahoo Canada.
“When you watch the documentary, you can hear what he’s been through, all his struggles. I mean, I’m surprised he didn’t do anything worse to himself.”
Morita’s daughters decided not to participate in the documentary, but have spoken about him publicly in the past.
“When he passed away in 2005 at the age of 73, my father was a forgotten star,” his daughter Aly Morita wrote in a piece for Hyphen Magazine in 2010. “He lived in Las Vegas, separated from his third wife, unable to swim laps because he was too old and still riding his coats Karate child heyday. “
His fans remembered him; the Asian-American community remembered him. But he was of no value to Hollywood. After more than 10 years of enjoying the abundance of success after the first Karate child movie, he was just another washed up movie star. “
‘Still a problem we have now’
While the documentary focuses largely on Morita’s life in particular, Alvarez and director Kevin Derek have decided to spend some time discussing the portrayal of Japanese in Hollywood movies and the types of roles that Japanese actors are cast in, both in the past. As now.
Examples of bias in movies include Mickey Rooney in Yellow Face as Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, called by many as racist, with Rooney’s character looking like caricature depictions of Japanese people during World War II.
Morita herself was experiencing limitations with regard to possible roles he could play, and Alvarez said this was particularly important to include in the documentary as it “is still a problem we have now.”
A more recent example is Ghost in the shell, which originated as a Japanese manga series, but in 2017, the main character Major was played by Scarlett Johansson. In addition, Tilda Swinton’s character, The Ancient One in Doctor Strange was criticized in 2016 for whitewashing, as the character is portrayed in the comics as an Asian man.
This break from the film’s purely Morita-led storyline was certainly welcome and provided additional context about the entertainment industry that the actor longed for, even though it seemingly worked against him, and why Morita is such an important actor in Hollywood history. .
“I think it was important because I think we need to understand that all those odds are against him, and he’s still held on, he still went as far as he went,” said Alvarez.