After being forced to say goodbye toGLOW, the beloved wrestler comedy series, let’s readily change the subject to a famed wrestler who is in comedies: John Cena.
While John Cena is best known for his work as a professional wrestler and beingthe face behind many memes, he is also quite popular on the big screen and the little screen. He made appearances as himself in the early-2010 family showsHannah Montana;True Jackson, VP;andFred. He has also had roles in acclaimed comedies likeSistersandBlockers.Most recently, it was announced that he will be a major cast member in theupcoming DC Extended Universe movieThe Suicide Squadwhich is currently in post-production. There’s just no getting away from this guy, but that’s been the case for the past two decades.
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The Suicide Squadis aJames Gunn directed superhero moviescheduled to premiere next fall. With a movie and television career spanning over 20 years, John Cena joined the cast to play Christopher Smith, better known as the Peacemaker, a violent vigilante who uses his strength and knowledge to promote world peace. He will also be playing this character in a prequel television series, scheduled to begin production in early 2021.
Rewinding quite a bit, John Cena’s first media appearance was in a 2000 wrestling comedy calledReady to Rumble. In this film, Cena had a small, uncredited background role as a random wrestler practicing in a gym. Then, he was a participant in a short-lived reality series titledManhunt(2001) thatfaced a number of misfortunesin its production including collapsing celebrity deals and rigged producers. Following these brief appearances came a newfound wave of attention on his wrestling career as he began to get recognition at various championships. At this point, he released a Billboard-charting studio album,you’re able to’t See Me, and was cast as the main character in the flopped 2006 action filmThe Marine.
Cena described this era of movies as one that he isn’t pleased with. AfterThe Marine, came three other movies in succession thatwere not met with critical approval;12 Rounds,Legendary, andThe Reunion. He took a break from acting for a few years before resurfacing in a few comedian-led movies, appearing inTrainwreckwith Amy Schumer andSisterswith Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. While being interviewed about his 2017 war movieThe Wall, he expressed to Entertainment Weekly, “The Wallis the kind of action I do like to do. I really wasn’t proud of the stuff that I did beforehand, which was the stereotypical — it might as well have come in a white box that said ‘Movie’ on the side. I think the performance dictates that. It wasn’t as creatively stimulating as the stuff I’m in now.”
Cena took some time to appear in a few animated movieswith World Wrestling Entertainment, voicing characters based on his own image in wrestler-themed cartoon specials likeScooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery, TheFlintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!, andSurf’s Up 2: WaveMania.
He also made an appearance in the comedyDaddy’s Homeand its sequel, both led by Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell. Cena played the muscular and intimidating father figure to a character’s eventual step-daughter, and it quickly became one of his most memorable roles.
Within the last few years, the quality and reception of his projects have increased substantially. He played a lead in the hilarious and well-favored comedyBlockers, a movie about a group of parents who embark on a quest to stop their teenagers from having sex on prom night. It was produced by Universal Pictures and grossed a worldwide box office total of $94 million. And in the following year,Cena played Jack Burns inBumblebee,opposite of singer-actressHailee Steinfeld, in the movie based on theTransformerslegacy. This movie had an all-star cast, adopting the voices of Angela Bassett, Justin Theroux, and Dylan O’Brien.
How about now? Most recently, Cena has returned to more the family comedies, being seen inPlaying With Fireand Robert Downey Jr.’sDolittleadaptation. He has three widely-anticipated movies in post-production, the previously mentionedThe Suicide Squad, the Jackie Chan action movieProject X-Traction, andF9, the latest inThe Fast and Furiousfranchise.
