Cobra Kai star announces her surprising retirement from acting at just 46
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Just two months after her Netflix series Cobra Kai came to a close, a beloved actress is announcing her retirement at just 46 years of age.
The show - a continuation of the Karate Kid franchise - ran for six seasons, concluding with its final five episodes that debuted on Netflix in February.
Now that the show has run its course, the actress is ready to call it a career as well, announcing the news to her fans.
Who is this retiring actress? It's none other than Courtney Henggeler, who played Amanda LaRusso, the wife of Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso.
Henggeler revealed the news to her fans on Substack, stating, 'After 20 plus years of fighting the good fight in the acting business, I hung up my gloves on Friday.'
'I called my agents and told them I was tapping out. I no longer wanted to be a cog in the wheel of the machine,' she added.
Just two months after her Netflix series Cobra Kai came to a close, a beloved actress is announcing her retirement at just 46 years of age
Who is this retiring actress? It's none other than Courtney Henggeler, who played Amanda LaRusso, the wife of Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso
'When prompted to know what I did want to do, I simply replied “I want to be the machine,"' she said, though she wouldn't elaborate on future plans.
'All I’ve ever known in my professional life was acting. But not even the art or craft of acting. All I’ve truly ever knew was the hustle,' she added.
'The hustle, the grind, sprinkled occasionally with the odd acting job. Perhaps a line or two to TV’s Dr. House - “Sorry” (that’s it. That was my line. Genius),' she added.
She also spoke of a, 'recurring guest-star that never seemed to recur….' on an unspecified show, adding, 'Whatever the opposite of nailing it is.'
'And when all was said and done (or mimed. Sometimes, you gotta mime) it was back to the grind. Back to the wheel. Back to the machine,' she said.
Henggeler added that she and her fellow actors, 'survived off the crumbs. We filled our cup with the possibility; our mugs with delusion.'
'Our plates were empty, but a golden goose hung over our heads. Today might be the day. Today might be the day I reach the golden goose. 20 plus years of this. I’m hungry,' she said.
She admitted that, 'I’m considered one of the lucky ones. I was on a series. A successful series. I made money. My face was on the billboards I longed for 20 plus years.'
'When prompted to know what I did want to do, I simply replied “I want to be the machine,"' she said, though she wouldn't elaborate on future plans.
'The hustle, the grind, sprinkled occasionally with the odd acting job. Perhaps a line or two to TV’s Dr. House - “Sorry” (that’s it. That was my line. Genius),' she added
She also spoke of a, ' recurring guest-star that never seemed to recur….' on an unspecified show, adding, ' Whatever the opposite of nailing it is'
'And when all was said and done (or mimed. Sometimes, you gotta mime) it was back to the grind. Back to the wheel. Back to the machine,' she said
Henggeler added, 'I was directed by George Clooney for godsakes,' referring to her role as Hazel Ulbrickson in Clooney's 2023's film The Boys In the Boat
Henggeler added, 'I was directed by George Clooney for godsakes,' referring to her role as Hazel Ulbrickson in Clooney's 2023's film The Boys In the Boat.
She added that her success, 'by all definitions is the golden goose,' and yet she admitted to still being, 'famished.'
'For years I silenced the voice in my head, begging me to walk away. The voice, the constant gnawing,' she said.
'Not because of the acting itself. But because of the gauntlet I had to run to reach the acting. What once felt necessary, something I willingly participated, even celebrated, became stifling,' she added.
'What if we choose to believe we have the power? What if we had it all along? What if we have been handing our power away because we have been told that this is how it is done. We lose perspective on our own machine, because we are convinced we need another,' she said.
'We wait for power to be bestowed upon us. We sign up for the gauntlets. We run the gauntlet, to prove our worth. To earn our place. To be crowned the power. What if we never needed to run the gauntlet? What if we are the gauntlet?' Henggeler concluded.
She also appeared in movies like Do Not Reply, Nobody's Fool, Friends With Benefits and guest-starring roles on Fuller House, The Big Bang Theory, Jane The Virgin, Bones and Mom, to name a few.
