Now that Cobra Kai has ended with Season 6, most are wondering what’s next for stars like Jacob Bertrand.
The answer is simple: continue building toward his dreams. During both of my chats with Bertrand, he expressed his desire to get behind the camera. He has made that goal come true with his latest short film, which is in post-production now and described as “a little sci-fi comedy.”
Catching up with ClutchPoints ahead of the Cobra Kai Season 6 premiere, Bertrand spoke about the film, which is untitled and re-teams him with his Cobra Kai co-star and best friend, Xolo Maridueña, and his girlfriend, Peyton List.
“It’s [about] four friends who stumble upon [an] alien,” he teased. “It gets out, and it starts eating everyone in the library. They have to use the plasma gun that they have been building to kill the alien before it eats everybody in the town.”
Similar to what Adam Sandler does with his comedies, Bertrand wants to include his friends in his projects: “I just try to put as many friends [in it] as possible.”
Saying goodbye to Hawk and Cobra Kai
Last time we spoke, Bertrand told me that the realization that the series was ending hit him the “latest” amongst the cast and crew. He was preparing to attend the Cobra Kai Season 6 premiere party while we were speaking.
It still may take a little while for it to settle in. His family is planning to host a watch party for the final few episodes of the series. While Bertrand doesn’t like to watch himself act, he will make an exception for Cobra Kai.
“I don’t like watching myself act, but I don’t mind watching myself fight for whatever reason,” he joked, though he may know the reason why. “Most of the time, my character wins,” Bertrand explained, which may explain why he’s okay watching those fight scenes.
Still, Jacob Bertrand hasn’t given the ending of Cobra Kai too much thought. Ever the macho man, he believes the rest of the cast might be “a little more sentimental” than him.
However, he concedes that it may hit him in a couple of years. He can collaborate with his Cobra Kai co-stars all he wants, but he knows it’s unlikely that he will ever get to be on set every day with everyone again. Luckily, he once again lamented how close-knit the cast is.
“This isn’t the last time I’m gonna see them. It might be the last time [we] do press or the last premiere together, [but] I’m gonna see them all the time, so I’m not too sad,” he explained.
His last day on set
He is trying to enjoy the “last” of everything involved with the show. Included among those is his last day on set. Bertrand still remembers it vividly.
To set the scene, he was filming with Gianni DeCenzo, and William Zabka was directing them. It was set in Miyagi-Do, and it was “a little bit of a montage.”
“There was no dialogue; it was just Gianni and I,” he recalled. “Billy was playing music, and we’re dancing. It was just the most fun day.”
His final scene gave Bertrand a full-circle moment. As he remembers, his first and last scenes were with DeCenzo. He may not be too sentimental, but clearly, he is sentimental enough to appreciate little moments like these.
“I’m not the most sentimental person in the world, but that did feel like it meant something,” conceded Bertrand.
How does Jacob Bertrand process moving on from characters?
Not being overly sentimental must help an actor like Bertrand move from part-to-part. Granted, Hawk is the character he has had the longest tenure with. But, still, it probably helps somewhat.
“I definitely would say so. I think the biggest level of attachment that I get to characters is I’m really competitive,” said Bertrand. “Something about that is you know you’re gonna lose fights, you’re gonna win fights; I really care deeply about it. But having the mindset of ‘even if you lose, even if you win, you just gotta move on.’
“When it comes to playing a character that I have played for a really long time, it’s like being with a team for a really long time and acknowledging that it’s amazing that I got this awesome run and got to do all these fun things. Now, it’s like I’m gonna get traded to a different team, and I’ve gotta give my all [to] that team now,” he continued.
Would he return for a Cobra Kai spin-off?
Last time we spoke, Jacob Bertrand expressed his desire to continue playing Hawk in a Cobra Kai spin-off. He pitched one that takes place in college, and I suggested he do a 22 Jump Street-type investigation for the role.
Months later, it sounds like Bertrand is unsure if that will happen. If anything, he sounds open to returning to the role decades later, much like Zabka and Ralph Macchio did in Cobra Kai.
“I would love to play this character again, but my gut says this is kind of it,” Bertrand said. “I mean, who knows? Dude, they could, in another 35 years or something, say, ‘All right, now Miyagi Kai,’ and if they asked me to come back for an episode, I would totally do it.”
He still is holding out hope that this is not the end for Hawk. “I hope it’s not the end, but my gut does tell me that it is,” he once again reinforced.
His main reason for enjoying the character? “I get to beat people up, [and] I don’t go to prison for it,” Bertrand joked.
What’s next for Jacob Bertrand, Peyton List?
Before any development on a Cobra Kai spin-off with Bertrand can be made, he needed to focus on Valentine’s Day. We were speaking a couple of days before the holiday, and he opened up a little bit about his plans with his girlfriend.
Bertrand described his Valentine’s Day plans with List as “chill,” naming rock climbing and cooking at home as two potential ideas.
“We’ll probably just go rock climbing, make dinner at home, watch a movie; you know, try to keep it copacetic, keep it relaxed,” Bertrand explained.
Another one of the plans could have been to see Captain America: Brave New World. Previously, he expressed his interest in Marvel to me, though he conceded that he’s not the “craziest Marvel fan.” Still, he was anxious to hear my thoughts on Brave New World and still sounded game to see it despite my so-so thoughts.
“I love Danny [Ramirez],” he gushed. “So, I’m definitely gonna go support [him] and see Captain America.”
As for Cobra Kai, Bertrand couldn’t help but joke: “That’s the perfect Valentine’s Day show — watching teenagers beat each other up.”
The post Exclusive: What’s next for Jacob Bertrand after Cobra Kai ends? appeared first on ClutchPoints.
