Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio team up to introduce the new 'Karate Kid'

HOLLYWOOD – Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio both forged careers through martial arts films that have stood the test of time. In “Karate Kid: Legends,” they pass important lessons on standing up despite adversities to Ben Wang, who inherits the title for the new generation.

“Karate Kid: Legends” picks up where two stories left off, and brings them into one storyline.

The film features Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan — together for the first time — and newcomer Ben Wang leading the way.

Chan relishes his role as a mentor on- and off-screen.

"I like to do it because when I was young, I was a wild boy. Because I'm in the martial arts school, a lot of teachers teach me. When I was in the film set, the director, stunt coordinator, everybody was teaching me a lot of good things. Then (it) put me on the right way. The right path," Chan said in an interview.

After more than six decades in entertainment, Chan says he’s no longer looking for roles that just entertain, but ones that mean something to him, like this movie’s story of an underdog who stands up against bullies.

"Picking up the script, any script that’s suitable for me. Very hard. Because I’m not like 20 years ago, whatever script comes in, I just do it. But now I really want to choose the good script. Why I make this movie for? Something different. Different is LaRusso, Miyagi, and teaching young children good message, good things," he added.

For Macchio, it’s a rewarding return to a role that made him a star twice over in the original “Karate Kid” films and in the Netflix “Cobra Kai” series.

"I have 8- and 10-year old kids running up to me like I'm Santa Claus. Just so excited that this is a movie they watch with their parents or their grandfather. Or asking me, ‘Hey, don't you play the dad on my favorite show?’ And I'm like, ‘Yeah, okay, that's me. I'm the dad on your favorite show," Macchio uttered.

For the new generation, actor Ben Wang inherits the Karate Kid mantle from Macchio.

Marking his first major studio role, the young actor says his path to this point has been through the mentors who changed his life.

"The only reason I am where I am here is because of a series of just chance encounters in my life with good teachers who believed in me before I believed in me. I grew up in a small town in Minnesota. So at each point of the journey, it was just somebody who believed in me, who had the right lessons for me at the right time that got me to where I was. So I would say that it's been a lifelong journey," Ben said in the interview.

Wang’s performance as Li Fong centers the film. Much of the story deals with teachers, discipline, and what it means to learn.

“Mulan” herself, Ming-Na Wen, who plays Li’s mom, says the film was a gift because it brought her face-to-face with Jackie Chan, one of her own heroes.

She also shared her own struggles on set and how she bonded with the martial arts icon through it.

"He's not just generous as a human being, but as an actor, I was struggling with my Chinese, because even though I speak Chinese, it's like a really bad accent. And so I had to work so hard and drill the right way. And then Jackie, he struggles a lot with the English dialogue a lot of times. We were both very empathetic and incredibly supportive of each other when it came to the languages," Wen said.

The movie also stars Joshua Jackson and Sadie Stanley.

“Karate Kid: Legends” is now out in theaters.