The Outsiders was bursting with future star power, including Ralph Macchio, when it was released in 1983. Alongside Macchio, the Francis Ford Coppola-directed film starred a slew of major Hollywood actors including Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, and Diane Lane. The Outsiders is based on the seminal 1967 novel by S.E. Hinton, and follows two gangs of young people — the poor greasers and the more wealthy Socs — as they fight for dominance in Tulsa, Oklahoma during the 1960s.

The film was a box office success, earning over $25 million against a $10 million budget (via Box Office Mojo) and critical acclaim. In the years since its release, The Outsiders spawned both a 1990 sequel TV series and a Tony Award-winning 2023 Broadway musical. The 1983 movie’s impact also extends to its stars, as just one year after its release, Ralph Macchio would go on to play Daniel LaRusso in 1984’s The Karate Kid. This film would define his career, as Macchio went on to reprise his role in two Karate Kid sequels and Netflix’s Cobra Kai.

Ralph Macchio Played Johnny Cade In The Outsiders

Johnny Is The Greaser Who Says “Stay Gold, Ponyboy.”

Ralph Macchio plays Johnny Cade in The Outsiders. Johnny is a part of the Greaser subculture along with the protagonist, Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell). Early in the film, Johnny and Ponyboy get into a fist fight with the rival Socs gang. In the confrontation, Johnny fatally stabs a Socs member to death.

The rest of the film sees Johnny and Ponyboy on the run and later trying to clear their names as Johnny acted in self-defense. Johnny later shows his heroism when he saves a group of kids from a church fire, only to break his back in the process and succumb to his injuries. His dying words, “Stay gold, Ponyboy,” are The Outsiders‘ most iconic quote.

As Johnny, Macchio was able to hold his own in The Outsiders‘ cast of future A-listers because his performance was so authentic. Johnny’s anguish about his parents’ constant domestic abuse and his anxiety about clearing his name are clearly seen through Macchio’s performance. He handles the nuances of his character well and has an effective Oklahoma accent to boot. The role was vital to Macchio’s career, as it let Hollywood know that he could handle complex roles.

What Macchio Said About Working With Francis Ford Coppola

Coppola Certainly Challenged Him

The actor has discussed working with The Outsiders director Francis Ford Coppola at length. In an interview with Us Weekly at the 2024 Director’s Guild Honors, Macchio said Coppla would throw him “curveballs” in order to challenge him. He says the acclaimed director wanted Macchio to turn his analytical brain off so the acting would feel organic. Of working with Coppola, Macchio said,

“[Coppola] kept telling me to do it again and to stop thinking. One time, he gave me a little rock and said, ‘Don’t look at this rock. Put it in your pocket, and during the scene, I want you to think about what color it is,’’’ he said. “And it actually helped because it took me out of over-analyzing.”

The Outsiders has stayed with Macchio throughout his career. In June 2024, he took his family to see The Outsiders Broadway musical. The musical opened in 2023 to critical acclaim and won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Macchio visited the cast and took a few pH๏τos, including a one-on-one with the Tony-nominated Sky Lakota-Lynch, the actor who plays Johnny in the musical rendition. While The Karate Kid made him famous, it’s clear that Ralph Macchio will always have a soft spot for the film that launched his career.

\n”‘};
window.arrayOfEmbedScripts[“instagram”] = “null”;