Actor Spotlight are features which examine the careers and impacts of talented performers working in film and television. The latest looks at Jacob Bertrand of Cobra Kai fame.
Be sure to check out our previous Actor Spotlight features on stars such as Jensen Ackles, Jack Quaid and more.
To Cobra Kai fans, actor Jacob Bertrand is best known for playing “Hawk” on the hit martial arts series.
Bertrand became a series regular on The Karate Kid spin-off in season two, having recurred in the first season.
After moving to Netflix, Cobra Kai became the streaming platform’s most-watched series.
At one point, Bertrand – a familiar face from children’s programming – was playing one of the show’s nastiest antagonists.
His character’s despicable actions included breaking longtime friend Demetri’s (Gianni DeCenzo) arm.
Of all the cast members, Bertrand’s had some of the show’s meatiest storylines. Viewers initially “met” Eli Moskowitz in season one. A shy, nerdy kid who was insecure due to his cleft lip.
However, the actor got to show a completely different side to his character once Eli took up karate. Eli became the ferocious and intimidating Hawk – complete with a colourful mohawk to match.
“I just love playing the villain, man. I will say, there’s a layer of complexity there”, Bertrand dished to Complex Canada in a 2022 interview.
As fans saw, Eli initially took up karate to defend himself. However, he later became the very thing he’d despised.
The actor added: “It’s fun having different layers to a character in general and having to figure out the exact reasons why someone would break their best friend’s arm for example.
“How does someone get to that point? In that sense, Hawk is just a fun character to play.”
Bertrand had been a working actor long before Cobra Kai came his way.
Some of his several guest star credits include Parks and Recreation, The Middle, iCarly and Community.
Meanwhile, Bertrand is in a unique category of having been a series regular for both Disney and Nickelodeon.
His Nickelodeon stint came first, starring in the short-lived sitcom Marvin Marvin.
YouTube personality Lucas Cruikshank – aka “Fred Figglehorn” played the titular alien teenage boy. As for Bertrand, he played “Henry”, the son in the family who took Marvin in.
A year later, Bertrand had the title role on a new Disney XD sitcom, Kirby Buckets.
In this show, he played a young boy who dreams of becoming an animator.
“Getting to play Kirby for three years has been extremely fun. I’ve learned a lot from the guest stars, directors, writers, and everyone on set that has helped my career”, Bertrand told Teenplicity in 2017, ahead of the final season.
As well as TV, the star’s wider work includes films such as Duress (his debut) and 2018 sci-fi hit Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg.
In the latter, he played a minor character known as “High School Kid”. The central cast included Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance and Simon Pegg.
Bertrand launched a talk-show podcast called Lone Lobos in 2021. Joining him as co-host is Cobra Kai co-star Xolo Maridueña, who plays Miguel Diaz.
Guests have included castmates such as Gianni DeCenzo (Demetri), Mary Mouser (Samantha), Yuji Okumoto (Chozen), Griffin Santopietro (Anthony) and Peyton List (Tory), to name a few.
Discussing their bond, Maridueña described Bertrand as his “brother” in a 2022 Teen Vogue Firsts Interview.
The fellow actor added: “There is wrestling on set. Usually starts off giggly, like ‘ha-ha-ha,’ but it gets heated pretty quickly.
“My brother Jacob Scott-Thomas Bertrand, he’s the biggest wrestler when it comes to tomfoolery like that.
“I just wish that man didn’t have so much pride when it came to tournaments and wrestling… I think maybe if he just took things a little bit more zen, I would win more. But I still have yet to win against him.”
With Cobra Kai is concluding after season 6, Bertrand’s time as Hawk is almost at an end.
As alluded to earlier, his character has been on an emotional rollercoaster. From being the bullied, becoming the bully and back again.
The role has undoubtedly changed Bertrand’s life, in more ways than one might expect.
He and castmate Peyton List – who plays Tory Nichols – went public with their romance in 2022.
They had already known each other for several years prior to Cobra Kai. Both Disney alums, the pair starred together in 2016 TV movie The Swap.
As for Cobra Kai wrapping up, Bertrand previously shared his thoughts in an interview with PopCulture.com.
He said: “This is not going to happen, but this is what I want to happen. I really want somehow, some way, Hawk has to murder somebody.”
Going further with his idea, Bertrand added: “And then Kreese (Martin Kove), obviously, he’s Kreese, so he’s super evil.
“He’s going to get thrown back in jail. It’s inevitable. He’s also in prison. And then the spinoff series is Kreese and Hawk working together running the prison. That would be sick.”
Cobra Kai season 6, part one is streaming now on Netflix.
Follow writer Conor O’Brien on Twitter/X
A lifelong TV and Film buff, Conor founded Courageous Nerd in 2019. He has conducted hundreds of interviews for the site, as well as written comprehensive feature articles on a variety of topics. You can find him on X: @conorrcn.
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