Kicking Butt In Cobra Kai: Interview with Rose Bianco

Netflix’s hit show, “Cobra Kai”, features fan favorites, Ralph Macchio and
William Zabka along with a talented cast, including Latina actress Rose
Bianco. Best known as the “Yaya,” Miguel’s doting grandmother on “Cobra Kai.”

Bianco worked on three seasons of Being Mary Jane on BET before landing
the role of “the Yaya”. And while she is not a fighter on the show, her
presence and realistic portrayal of her Latina heritage indeed is kicking
down stereotypes.

Check out the interview with Rose Bianco.

Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get into acting?

Rose: I went to a very small all girl’s Catholic high school, and we did one musical per year. I played a sailor in South Pacific, Gloria Upson in Mame (divine, and, the Costume), and Mrs. Malloy in Hello Dolly (my main recollection is, I could not sing my number, so the chorus had to help, and also, the Costume). There was something about doing these shows that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but these were among the most inclusive, fun experiences I’d ever had. There were virtually no extracurricular school experiences, and participating in these theatrical productions made me feel included, smack dab in the middle of the action.

By senior year, I enrolled at DePaul University as a pre-law major, but during a theatre games class I took with a friend who talked me into it, I realized that this is what I wanted to do with my life. I changed my major to Speech & Drama, signed up for an acting class, and began my career as an actress that very summer by being cast in a professional show that ran for seven months, Some Kind of Life at the Victory Gardens.

What was your reaction when you were cast for “Cobra Kai?”

Rose: Pure delight and excitement. I had seen the posting for the role in the public site Actor’s Access. The casting director for “Cobra Kai” at the time, Bajo Sonubi, believed in providing opportunities for unrepresented actors by posting principal roles for shows on the AA site. I was represented but would check AA often for any opportunities that I may not have heard about through my agent. So when I saw the description for Rosa Diaz –’fuggedabout it.’ This role was so me!I asked my agents to submit me if they hadn’t already. Finally, I got an audition invitation. Soon after the initial audition, I got a callback, and then I got cast. Huzzah! I was very happy because it was the opportunity to play a very funny recurring role. The show at the time was not a big budget, high expectations type of show at all. It was a Youtube show. Who knew that it would grow to the juggernaut it is now? “Cobra Kai” really is the little engine that could.

What was it like working with the cast of “Cobra Kai?”

Rose: As I’ve mentioned in several of my interviews, working on the Cobra Kai set is lovely, warm, and fuzzy. I work closest with Vanessa Rubio, who plays my daughter, and she is a very sweet and kind young lady. I thank God for this because this relationship is central, and if there was any awkwardness between members of the cast, the magic could simply not have been created I believe. I met Xolo, who plays my grandson Miguel, and right off the bat, I adored him for being the most down to earth lovable kid ever. In most of my scenes, I do get to work with William Zabka, and he is a straight-up doll, very funny and at ease at all times, and a super hard worker.

The producers Jon, Hayden, and Josh, are all great guys, and at least two of them, if not all three, are on the set every time I’ve worked. They set the tone – professional, light-hearted, easy-going — there is no drama on this set. And this tone generates all-around good vibes and includes the most lovely behind the scenes people. I have to give a shout out to costume designer Frank Helmer. He created Rosa Diaz’s look with his ideas based on ladies he’s met in his Los Angeles neighborhood. The thing I like best in show business besides acting is Costume Design — as an actor, I can tell you that sometimes the role falls into the place with the right pair of shoes–(Stanislavsky was so right) I appreciate Frank’s vision so much in helping me craft the persona of Yaya. So overall, the experience of working on the CK set is a delight at all times in every way.

What are your thoughts on the entertainment industry when it comes to diversity?

Rose: I am not great at understanding world dynamics too much and can only talk about my perspective. As a Latina performer and human being, I can testify that I’ve seen with my own eyes that there simply had been virtually no representation in the past, but it has become much better. You know how they say “representation matters?” Even though this seems like an au courant slogan — it does really matter. When I was little, I watched a lot of TV. I watched “I Dream of Jeannie”, “Bewitched”, “The Brady Bunch”, reruns of “The Dick Van Dyke Show”, and “Leave it to Beaver.” It was a very white world in which everyone seemed to own houses. It was very foreign to my experience. In the 70s, things were a little different. I watched “Sanford and Son” (and Freddie Prinze became one of my idols, and I am so sorry his life was so troubled), “Good Times”, “What’s Happening” (people who lived in apartments like me). Anyway, when I started acting, it was hard to get any roles.

As I mentioned, I got my first big break in an original play set in a very urban Uptown Chicago setting, and I was playing the lead’s Puerto Rican teenage girlfriend. After that, I played Latin tellers, prostitutes, maids in industrials, plays, and television. I spent some formative years in San Francisco in a theatre group called Les Nickelettes that was feminist, glittery, campy, and fully empowering. Then I moved to New York to try and get my professional career back on track, but I had little success and finally gave up acting in my 30th year. I did get back into acting after raising my kids in my later years, and that has worked out pretty well for me lately. There are many more Latino characters in films and television overall now, for sure, than there were 30-40 years ago. On the set of “Being Mary Jane”, I had a conversation with Lisa Vidal, who plays Mary Jane’s best friend and producer. Lisa herself had a crossroads moment when she told her agent that she was done auditioning for prostitutes and maids. Her agent responded positively, and Lisa’s career blossomed. She is an inspiration to me, to be honest.

What are some of the projects that you’ve worked on recently?

Rose: Well, in the year of Covid19, I only worked on one project lol. That is “Red Notice”, a Dwayne Johnson/Ryan Reynolds film. It was a very small part, but it was wonderful to be working. Most of the work I did in 2019 came out on television in 2020, and a cameo in “Wandavision” came out this year. I had a decent part and worked a couple of months on a movie that is coming up soon, “The Tomorrow War” with Chris Pratt.

Is there another season of Cobra Kai coming up?

Rose: As Netflix announced last year, there will be a Season 4. There are so many subplots and characters in the Karate Kid universe, God only knows what the creators have in the works. No matter what happens, I’m so very glad that I’ve had the opportunity to be part of this hugely successful, and pretty awesome show.