Ralph Macchio Lived on Five Bucks a Day
After Ralph Macchio landed the role of Johnny, Coppola made him live on five dollars a day so he could fully understand and embody the character he was going to play in the film – Johnny Cade, a greasy-haired, frightened-looking kid who grew up in a poor family with two parents who were constantly at each other’s throats.
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To get the whole experience of what it was like being a poor kid in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ralph Macchio had to sleep on park benches, using crumpled newspapers as blankets. The young actor noted that the process wasn’t too pleasing, yet it improved his acting skills tremendously.