Actor Ralph Macchio dismissed claims that his 1984 film “The Karate Kid” was “too white” and did not spend enough time reflecting on the Japanese cultural influence on the martial arts discipline.

Macchio, whose turn as Daniel LaRusso in that movie cemented him as a household name, said last week that he had always believed the movie was ahead of its time – mainly because it addressed the subject of the World War II-era Japanese internment camps.

“People have said it’s a very white cast, that it didn’t dive into the Asian story. But I always say this: The film was ahead of its time because it was a popcorn movie that talked about Japanese internment camps during World War II,” the 60-year-old actor explained.

Ralph Macchio dismisses 'too White' criticism of 1984's 'Karate Kid': 'Ahead of its time' https://t.co/8xF8HdNYle

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Macchio went on to say that his late costar, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, attributed his Academy Award nomination to one the scene that address the camps — and his character’s experience during the war.

That scene showed the typically stoic Mr. Miyagi drunk and losing control of his emotions as he remembered his wife — who died in childbirth along with their son in an internment camp — on what would have been their anniversary. The scene ends with Macchio’s Daniel putting his instructor and mentor into bed.

What made the scene so powerful, Macchio argued, was the fact that Morita himself had spent time in the camps. “Pat himself spent two years in the camps. So it had double meaning and some depth,” he said.

Despite the depth and power of the scene, Macchio said it almost ended up on the cutting room floor — over concerns that the movie was too long.

“The studio’s main concern was that with the movie running over two hours, they would lose a daily screening time, and essentially, money in the process. They all shut up once we screened it for them with an audience,” he added.

Macchio returned to the character he made famous decades later, reprising the role of Daniel La Russo for Netflix’s “Cobra Kai.”

Despite some early concerns about coming back to the role, Macchio explains in his new memoir that the series has succeeded in taking what made the films “work” and bringing those elements — “Overcoming the obstacles, finding your way … figuring it out” — to a whole new generation of fans.

In a memoir, Ralph Macchio says he was unsure about returning to the role of Daniel LaRusso in “Cobra Kai.” But the Netflix series successfully captures what made the “Karate Kid” films work: “Overcoming the obstacles, finding your way…figuring it out.” https://t.co/rkMygXNh3g

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With the midterm elections just 16 days away, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday said that Democrats should push an economic message dealing with the struggles of the working class amid high inflation instead of focusing mainly on the issue of abortion.

Sanders, I-Vt., discussed the messaging of Democrats going into the midterm elections during an appearance on CNN’s "State of the Union."

"I think what the Democrats have got to say is, 'We are gonna stand with working people, we’re prepared to take on the drug companies, we’re prepared to take on the insurance companies, and create an economy that works for all of us," Sanders said.

"Is the abortion issue important? Yes," he continued. "But we have also got to focus on the struggles of working people to put food on their table."

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Democrats have largely made abortion a centerpiece of their midterm campaigns after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. 

However, recent polling shows that while abortion remains a top issue, many don't consider it the most important issue facing the country.

A survey of 1,000 Latino registered voters conducted by NBC News and Telemundo earlier this month found that only 5% believe abortion is the "most important issue facing the country."

In an ABC/WaPo poll released last month, the economy (89%), education (77%) and inflation (76%) topped out the issues voters consider "highly important" as midterms loom, but those issues were followed closely by crime at 69%, which beat out abortion at 62%.

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Sanders also suggested that President Biden is not at fault for high inflation like Republicans would claim, and instead pointed to the war in Ukraine, supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and corporate greed.

The senator claimed that studies show that 50% of inflation is due to that last factor.

"One of the reasons for inflation is the incredible level of corporate greed. Check out the profits on the oil companies, the drug companies, the food companies," Sanders said. "Their sky-high profits are ripping off the American people."

When asked if the country will face a recession, Sanders said that it is "hard to say," but that one can be avoided if "we do the right things."

Fox News's Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.