Fans of Trainwreck or the HBO Max series Peacemaker already know how much of a “goofball” John Cena can be on screen–with or without clothes–but where did he find the confidence to let it all hang out?
It turns out you can address those thank you letters to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The two stars both found their not-so-humble beginnings as WWE wrestlers, with The Rock being first to make the jump to the silver screen in movies like The Mummy Returns and The Rundown.
Cena recently revealed during a Q&A at Comic-Con in Wales that he turned to The Rock for advice when he wanted to take his career to the next level.
“I was able to ask him, ‘Hey man, do you have any advice’?” Cena recalled.
Related: That time The Rock was warned doing gay-for-pay would ruin his career… and he did it anyway
Cena already had a handful of acting credits, but his then-upcoming role in Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck in 2015 required him to tap into his comedy chops.
“He said, ‘They asked you there for a reason dude; just be yourself.’
“He, in that one sentence, allowed me to calm down,” Cena said. “Allowed me to be myself, which, I’m really a goofball.”
Trainwreck required him to be that goofball “on screen,” he said. “Naked.”
“[The Rock is] the reason I’m here,” he added.
If you want a refresher on what that looked like, try here. And here.
It wouldn’t be the last time Cena got to showcase his (nearly) naked goofball energy.
This GIF from his work on Peacemaker will live forever in glory:
Cena was photographed last month working on the upcoming movie Fast X, which is scheduled for a May 2023 release.
It’s the tenth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, and let’s just say we’re much more excited for Peacemaker season two.
JOHN CENA HAS BEEN SPOTTED ON THE FAST X SET pic.twitter.com/IXZLwOz25A
— T'Challa Stan (@KhameekJ03) August 1, 2022
In the meantime, here’s Cena reading thirst tweets:
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MISTERJETT
saw him in Trainwreck. hot body!!!!!!
SDR94103
he was wearing a strapon for the towel scene.
Brian
Yes, obviously. But every other square inch of him that’s real is absolutely hot.
johncp56
crush like him so much hot as hell and funny. Peacemaker need to go back I only saw the first EP, Trainwreck OMG all good.
Jack Meoff
When he does full frontal then we can talk.
Thad
Whatever else is said about John Cena, let the record show he’s always been generous when it comes to kids. He’s done so much (and often without fanfare) when asked by a child. Real men do that.
Mister Dawson
Hummm. What is a real man? Never read a definition on this?
Caelestius
That’s great to hear. It’s usually impossible to know the truth about a celebrity. Yes–real men treat kids, and women, with honesty and kindness. To Mr. Dawson–something like “real men” wouldn’t bear mentioning if so many men didn’t act like they missed class that day. Many, if not most, need mentoring or reminders.