John Cena is no rookie.
But when it comes to his acting career, the wrestlers brash showmanship is replaced by something resembling humility.
Not humble-for-an-actor, but actually humble.
Credit: Amazon Studios
Hopefully, that skill set is growing every day.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What are the deciding factors for when you take on an acting role?
Is it mostly timing?JOHN CENA:Timing matters as it gets closer.
I get scripts all the time.
Ive shied away from projects like that.
That has to do with timing and planets aligning.
Youve got a pretty solid day job.
The part inTrainwreckwas very different fromThe Wall, but both piqued my interest exactly the same.
In the last few years, youve been stealing scenes in comedies.
I spend a lot of time taking myself very lightly.
People actually laughed, so I got another chance to do it.
I very rarely have the chance to slip on a banana peel and have it be funny.
You have to sustain the weekly storyline of the WWE.
We all just kind of do our jobs over there.
Were told to do something, and weve got to do it to the best of our ability.
I love it because I love that, but it doesnt define all of who I am.
I think the performance dictates that.
It wasnt as creatively stimulating as the stuff Im in now.
The WWE is a super collaborative environment.
Does that affect how you work on a set?The difference is that WWE moves all the time.
It changes all the time, and you cant really get married to a concept or an idea.
Im not afraid to take advice from coworkers, not that Im afraid to do that in WWE.
Then I go to work.
In certain spots, it gets empty, and it gets hot.
Man, thats where we were at.
It looks incredibly hot.
Just the amount of gear you have to wear to survive a day.
Thats not even talking about doing anything physical or engaging in any sort of combative activity.
Thats waking up, putting on the gear, and moving around.
Was it a long shoot?It was fast.
We made this movie for next to nothing.
Thats another reason why Im proud of it.
I think everybody who stepped on set earned it.
It was so, so fun and face-paced.
It was right when I was hosting the ESPYs.
The very next morning, I was covered in filth.
I have a nice juxtaposed photo of me in a tuxedo and then me covered in crap.
You spend a good chunk of the movie lying around.
We were in blistering heat.
It was sweaty, and Im supposed to look like Im exhausted and helpless and sweaty.
At the end of the day, every movement does take everything out of you.
Aside from it being hot as balls, I think we did pretty damn good.
You got engaged a few weeks ago at WrestleMania.
I know sometimes during the performance at the event, Im not exactly their favorite.
The audience made it forever memorable and forever special.
Its the perfect moment for Cena not to suck.
[Laughs] I wanted to take a chance and do something crazy.
