Real reason Hilary Swank didn't reprise 'Next Karate Kid' role in 'Cobra Kai'

Cobra Kai creators did their best to bring back Hilary Swank in the final season of the show.

Swank played Julie Pierce, who becomes Mr. Miyagi’s student in the 1994 film The Next Karate Kid.

Creators Josh Heald, Jon Huwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, reached out to the actress’ representatives and asked for a meeting.

"We did reach out in the very early days before the season to see if there was a path [for her to appear]," Heald told Entertainment Weekly.

He continued, “We had an inkling of an idea about how she could come into this story and not have to commit to 10 episodes or something. It was going to feel like it could be a one- or two-episode arc, similar to what we did with Elisabeth Shue, where you can bring Ali back in at a pivotal moment and affect an important relationship."

However, the actress declined the offer to meet.

"On her end, it was very respectful, but we never got that opportunity to sit down and pour our heart out the way that we typically do when we bring back characters from the legacy," Heald shared.

"She was just in a place where she wasn't looking to do that. She had had babies. I think she was in production on something at the time, and it was a respectful pass on even the idea of a meeting. She didn't want us to go through the trouble of flying out to her and putting our heart on the sleeve because it just wasn't something she was ready to do at that moment," he added.

While Oscar winner Swank couldn’t be persuaded to return, Cobra Kai brought back many actors from the original movie trilogy.

Including lead stars Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, William Zabka as Johnny, Oscar-winner Shue as Ali. They also brought back various villains of the franchise, including Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver, Yuji Okumoto as Chozen Toguchi, who becomes Daniel’s friend in the show, and also Cobra Kai dojo founder John Kreese, played by Martin Kove.