‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5: Spanish Was Xolo Maridueña’s 1st Language but He ‘Had to Brush Up’
Cobra Kai Season 5 promises Miguel (Xolo Maridueña)’s trip to Mexico. Season 4 ended with Miguel leaving the All-Valley Karate Tournament early and leaving a note behind. The season 4 finale showed Miguel taking a bus to Mexico to find his father. Season 5 devotes the first two episodes to his journey.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet attended roundtable interviews with the cast of Cobra Kai on Aug. 26. Maridueña spoke about his Spanish speaking abilities on display in the new season. We’ll have more with the cast and creators of Cobra Kai Season 5 before it premieres Sept. 9 on Netflix.
Does Xolo Maridueña speak spanish?
Yes. Yes, he does. In fact, Spanish was Maridueña’s first language. Obviously, he got fluent in English too. Not only does he speak English on Cobra Kai and in other roles, but he hosts the podcast, Lone Lobos, with his friend and co-star Jacob Bertrand. It was returning to Spanish that proved challenging on Cobra Kai Season 5.
“I definitely had to brush up,” Maridueña said. “My family speaks very fluent Spanish. I know it was my first language. It was just in the middle there was a little lack of retaining it.”
Xolo Maridueña’s family
Maridueña has Cuban, Ecuadorian and Mexican family. His mother, Carmelita Ramirez Sanchez, is a radio host and produced Wake Up with Sway and King Tech on Power 106, and helped introduce her son to hip-hop music. Omar G. Ramirez, his father, is a music producer according to LATN.
Xolo is short for Xolotl, the name of the Dog Star constellation. Ramirez Sanches told Hispanicize that Maridueña was born when the constellation was above so she named him after it. Maridueña told Power 106 it is the name for the dog who guides people to the afterlife. Xolo is also his middle name. He only uses his first name, Amario, with his family. Maridueña has not spoken about why he uses that last name and not his parents’, but Forebears states it is an Ecuadorian name.
Xolo Maridueña understands the Spanish dialogue on ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5
Cobra Kai went to Puerto Rico to film the scenes that were supposed to take place in Mexico. That was still quite a journey outside their home base of Atlanta, Georgia. Miguel encounters some of the criminal element scouring the streets for his father, with their Spanish subtitled on screen. Co-creator Jon Hurwitz said the Spanish dialogue resulted in a little more profanity for Cobra Kai Season 5.
“It’s one of those things I understand it perfectly,” Maridueña said. “It’s easy to fall back into but it was really fun. Being out in Puerto Rico, there’s no other option so you’re definitely in the middle of it.”
