How John Cena’s First Movie Role Helped Him As A Performer
John Cena has looked back on his first movie role from very early in his WWE career.
When John Cena won the WWE Championship for the first time at WrestleMania 21 in 2005, it was only three years into his career on the main roster.
By 2006, Cena was put into his first film, a WWE Studios production called “The Marine.” While WWE Studios doesn’t exist now, there was a time when they produced several films per year. Although many of them weren’t very successful or memorable, “The Marine” did pretty well for the company with Cena in a starring role.
Since his days starring in “The Marine” movie, Cena went on to have a legendary WWE career, and he’s also become a legitimate Hollywood star who has starred in dozens of films.
While speaking to People in a new interview about his career, John Cena spoke about the lessons he learned while filming The Marine.
“This is my first movie role, The Marine, and what a great lesson. I can’t control anyone’s perception. I’m sure there’s folks who’d be like a overnight sensation. It’s undeniable that people are going to think the way they think.
Looking back, what a great lesson that this and a few of the movies that I was fortunate enough to do after have given me. The reason I did this is because WWE was opening a movie studio and the thought process was if we could make our in-ring talent movie stars, more people (would) come to the shows.
As an in-ring talent, the one thing I want is more people at the shows. So I would go do this. Here I’m in my mid-20s. I’m a world champion. I’m going to five shows a night and a different crowd every night. I get the creative space to improvise and ride the wave of this noise that is indescribable. Musicians know it, stand-up comics know it, sketch comics know it, but there’s a very small group of folks that know the energy of an audience.
Then I go to a quiet movie set that takes a long time to light, and especially action. It takes like eight hours to do a huge practical explosion, and I wasn’t there to be the Marine. I was there to put more people in a WWE arena, and I’m proud that I got to do it, and when I reflect on this, it reminds me of when I sit in the chair to talk to you, because we’ve committed to do this, and when I sit down to be in a role, put your focus there.
Don’t be elsewhere because here (points to photo) I was elsewhere. I was in Madison Square Garden. This was in Madison Square Garden. This guy was in Australia filming a movie and you can see it in the work.”
“It’s Time To Learn Another Craft” – John Cena
As he reflected on The Marine, John Cena noted that the film reminded him that being a WWE superstar didn’t guarantee a movie audience.
“I got to brush up against brilliant actors and boy, I mean, the movie’s fun, But I just wanted to go back to the ring and I wasn’t mature enough to understand, like, no, it’s not that simple, and I got run out of the movie business in like 2009 for for doing bad movies where I wasn’t present, thinking that just because I wore a gold and leather belt on Monday and Friday, they’d come see whatever I’m doing.
What an excellent photo to look at. Because it reminds me, like, reset your odometer, pal. It’s time to learn another craft. When you are somewhere, be somewhere. Don’t be elsewhere. This one’s helped me a lot.”
Regarding his WWE career, John Cena will be on SmackDown in Montreal to address what happened at SummerSlam when Brock Lesnar attacked him and dropped him with an F5, which could lead to a final Cena-Lesnar match as part of Cena’s retirement tour.