The Karate Kid Part III didn't have a romance for Daniel LaRusso for a very good reason

Hollywood doesn't exactly have the best track record for age-appropriate on-screen relationships (think Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" or James L. Brooks' "As Good as It Gets") , and while the age gap is, admittedly, a big part of a lot of these movies' plots, there's still something gross about much older men pursuing much younger women.

In an interview for "Below the Belt Show", Robyn Lively talked about her age difference with Ralph Macchio in "The Karate Kid Part III". At the time of filming, Macchio was in his twenties, while Lively, who played Jessica Andrews, was decidedly younger. The ten-year age difference between them gave the filmmakers pause, so much so that they ended up reworking the screenplay.

"I was scripted to be the girlfriend," Lively said. "But the age difference was so awkward that they ended up changing her to just be her friend." Even though the characters of Lively and Macchio were closer in age onscreen than they were in real life, it's refreshing to hear that the filmmakers were unwilling to make Lively and Macchio describe a romance. "I was 16," Lively says. "He was a little older than me at the time. He was married. I was just a teenager."

"The Karate Kid Part III" came out in 1989 when things like age differences in movies were decidedly less controversial, so kudos to whoever called for cutting romance and getting back to good friendship at the old one. Hopefully their friendship has prevailed over the years and Jessica makes an appearance in the upcoming 'Cobra Kai' Season 5.