Who plays Kenny in Cobra Kai and where have you seen him before? Actor's career explored

Those of you who have watched Cobra Kai know Kenny Payne. But who brings this feisty young fighter to life? That would be Dallas Dupree Young!

This talented actor made his way into the Cobra Kai universe in Season 4. And he’s been kicking (literally) ever since. But Cobra Kai isn’t his first rodeo.

You might have spotted him in other shows before he stepped into the dojo. Let’s get into the world of Dallas Dupree Young!

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Where you might have seen this Cobra Kai actor

Dallas started acting at just 9 years old. His first gig was a short film. From there, he made his TV debut in Murder Among Friends. And get this, he filmed his audition on his manager’s lawn.

He then popped up in shows like Shameless, The Mayor, The Good Place, and The Fosters. Oh! And if you blinked, you might’ve missed him in Ready Player One!

In 2018, he got his first lead role as Stuart in the Nickelodeon show Cousins for Life. He later joined Mixed-ish, The Big Show Show, and even the biopic The Royal.

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Dallas' journey in Cobra Kai

In 2021, Dallas joined Cobra Kai as Kenny Payne. He plays the role of a kid who starts as the bullied… only to become a bully himself.

His journey in the show has been nothing short of wild. After being tormented at school, he turns to karate for self-defense. He learns from Robby Keene. But instead of just learning to protect himself, he gets caught up in Cobra Kai’s ruthless ways.

Over time, Kenny transforms from an underdog to one of the strongest fighters in the series. But his story doesn’t stop there.

By Season 6, Kenny realizes Cobra Kai isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. He leaves the dojo and joins Miyagi-Do. This was his attempt to try to find a new path. But things don’t come easy. Especially when he’s framed for a prank he didn’t pull.

Eventually, the truth comes out and Kenny gets a shot at redemption. He even flies to Barcelona with Johnny Lawrence and Miguel Diaz to compete for Miyagi-Do.

When asked about his role, Dallas shared with CBR:

"It's really cool being able to play all different aspects of Kenny. You get to explore all different sides of your emotions that you didn't even know you really had unlocked. And you get a chance to go from a Season 4 character who was really sad, he was independent, didn't really have too many people, to Season 5 who was the strongest competitor in the Cobra Kai scene and he wanted to be the best so bad that he ended up becoming a villainous [character]."

He continued -

"And then you go into Season 6, where he has nobody. Everybody has betrayed him. He's kind of gotten his karma and now he has to adjust off of that and now turn to Miyagi-do. You get a full-fledged character arc that I feel like they did such a great job with, and being able to play that role with all the different sides has made it really dynamic, really fun, really exciting for me."

Coming to some of the behind-the-scenes action, landing the role of Kenny wasn’t easy. Dallas auditioned in 2020. He went through a three-week process before getting the part. He already loved The Karate Kid movies.

But he waited until he booked the role to binge Cobra Kai. That was just to build up the excitement! To prepare, he trained in martial arts and studied legends like Bruce Lee and Wesley Snipes.

He also shared with CBR about how exciting this opportunity was for him:

"This is such an incredible opportunity. The best part about it is the fact that my parents grew up watching The Karate Kid back in the day. So for them to pass down the knowledge of everything that happened to me, and then be able to be on the show and work alongside people like William Zabka, Ralph Macchio, Martin Kove -- people that I've looked up to growing up -- it's such an incredible honor and a privilege. I'm just so blessed to be on it."

He continued -

"And the fact that we have so much action is really exciting for me too, because [they] get to use my athleticism and put it on screen."

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Dallas' journey from baseball dreams to hollywood screens

Cobra Kai actor Dallas Dupree Young was born on October 25, 2006, in Houston, Texas. Fun fact - he comes from a family of athletes! His dad and his older brother were both Major League Baseball players.

Dallas himself dreamed of following in their footsteps. But life had other plans.

Inspired by classic shows like Hannah Montana and Family Matters, Dallas decided to give acting a shot. He attended an acting showcase in Los Angeles, met his future manager, and the rest is history!

Dallas has grown a lot on Cobra Kai. And so has Kenny. But Cobra Kai isn’t just a show for him. It’s been a learning experience. In his words:

"Whenever I was filming Cobra Kai, I have school, I have baseball that I have to do, [I've] got a family life. The biggest thing that I learned is being able to balance all of those together, and really relying on the other people around you to help you out, too. You're really not in this alone."

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