Dave Hogan/Getty;Cindy Ord/Getty Ralph Macchio is reminiscing about his time making the 1984 film,The Karate Kid Speaking to PEOPLE at the premiere of the new filmKarate Kid: Legends,Macchio said many of his memories revolve around the late Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi Elsewhere in the interview, Macchio discussed what makes the new film so "different" Ralph Macchiohas fond memories of his 1984 hit filmThe Karate Kid. Speaking to PEOPLE on the red carpet at the May 27 premiere ofKarate Kid: Legendsin New York City, Macchio, 63, said he has "tons of favorite memories" from filming his breakout role as Daniel LaRusso — and many revolve around working with his former costar,Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi. "From the original, every day working with Pat Morita, it was a blessed partnership and it still resonates," Macchio said. Morita died in 2005 at 73 years old. He added that theLegendsfilm — which costarsJackie Chan— expands on the broaderKarate Kidsaga. "The reason I'm in this movie is to pay that legacy forward. Shedding a little piece of Miyagi forward," Macchio continued. "It's never the wrong thing to do in Daniel LaRusso's eyes and in Ralph Macchio's eyes." Macchio appeared as LaRusso in the 1984 film, reprising the role inThe Karate Kid Part II(1986) andThe Karate Kid Part III(1989), the newLegendsfilm and in the Netflix seriesCobra Kai. ButLegends, he explained to PEOPLE, is different. "This film has more of like an early Jackie Chan movie style, a Hong Kong style," he said at the premiere. "The fight, the cameras are really wide lenses inside the fights. There's humor laced throughout and there was always humor in theKarate Kidfilms, but the original film was kind of cinema magic — very romantic, wide, long takes, dialogue scenes that breathe." Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Columbia Pictures/Getty He continued: "This is quicker pace for this generation, but laced with humor, excitement, next level martial arts and Ben Wang [the young actor who plays Li Fong in the film] is a rock star in the movie." The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! Director Jonathan Entwistle earlier told PEOPLE there is an important balance between the films and the television series. "They are both part of theKarate Kiduniverse — withoutKarate Kid,there would be noCobra Kai," Entwistle said. "Our film is set after the sixth and final season ofCobra Kaiand takes theKarate Kidmythology in a fresh direction with a new set of characters," he explained. Karate Kid: Legendsis in theaters May 30. Read the original article onPeople