The Extreme Measures Ralph Macchio Went Through For The Outsiders

In the film, Ralph Macchio's character comes from a family living in poverty, which includes frequent domestic abuse in the household. Johnny is the best friend of fellow greaser Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell) and shares Ponyboy's goal of eventually getting out of their small town and living a better life one day. Johnny's family dynamic lacks the cohesion of Ponyboy's home life, despite both characters living in poverty.

Having read the book when he was 12 years old, Macchio took Francis Ford Coppola's directive to capture authenticity to heart. In a 2017 interview with Parade Magazine, he commented how Coppola wanted him to know what it was like to live in such desperate circumstances, which required him to live on only $4 for a whole day. Macchio went on to explain, "I slept outside one night under newspapers just like Johnny did, and it was not fun. I developed a walk where his toes were pointed in a bit."

Johnny Cade is more of a quiet and contemplative character in the book and film, which led Macchio to also distance himself from the other actors during the two-week rehearsal period before filming began (via Variety). It may have been extreme, but the finished product speaks for itself.