The cape comes off
John Cena abandons superhero wrestling persona for The Wall
What does a guy like John Cena do for fun on his 40th birthday?
Deadlifts 602 pounds (273 kg), at the gym. That’s what.
You know the drill, people: Hustle. Loyalty. Respect. The biggest WWE superstar ever, turned 40 on April 23, and has been enjoying a stellar year so far, joining main squeeze Nikki Bella to squash The Miz and Maryse at WrestleMania 33, last month — only to top that off with a public marriage proposal to Ms. Bella afterward in front of ecstatic fans.
The 16-time world champion continues to pursue acting outside the ring as well, and has a new movie called The Wall, released May 12.
The Wall stars Cena and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as American soldiers in Iraq. It’s 2007, so the war is supposed to be over, but not everyone seems to have heard the news. The men arrive at a scene of carnage at a pipeline installation, where several Americans are dead — each of them shot in the head. There’s obviously a skilled sniper involved; he soon has the two soldiers pinned to the desert floor. Taylor-Johnson finds symbolic shelter behind a rickety wall, and an exceptionally tense game of cat and mouse begins.
Cena made his movie debut in Ready to Rumble back in 2000, but really found his feet in such recent comedies as Sisters, Daddy’s
Home and Trainwreck. He acquits himself nicely in the dark drama of The Wall, a psychological thriller from Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity; Edge of Tomorrow), that highlights the futility of war. We spoke to Cena on the phone:
Q: For part of the movie you are immobilized, and yet, your presence is still very much a part of the story.
A: It is heavy. But I am indeed there, and hats off to Doug Liman for making all the smallest moments, even just the physical presence, so important. The suspense in the story is fantastic, and I think all of it shows up on screen. I read the story and loved the story, and that initially drew me to it. Certainly, finding out Aaron Taylor-Johnson was involved told me that a good story would become a great movie. I was just very lucky to be part of it. Q: You’re known for your support of the military, but would it be fair to say that The Wall is an antiwar movie?
A: What’s fair about The Wall is that you get to watch it and come up with your own conclusions. Certainly, you will have an opinion about it. That’s what I love about this movie — everyone is going to walk away with their own experience. Hopefully, it will be a good one.
Q: So do you now have a whole second career in the movies? A: Man, that would be great if it could happen. (Laughs) I’m certainly more comfortable now with the roles I have than I was 10 years ago. Anyway, I’m glad if you think so — hopefully it means I can make some more movies!
Q: What’s the secret behind your drive, your motivation, your success?
A: I show up on time, I try to work really, really hard, and I approach everything like it’s the first day on the job. Also, I have a saying: ‘Don’t be an A-hole’ and I’m guided by that. (Laughs). I just try to be a nice person, treat everyone with respect, and work hard.
Q: You’ve described your wrestling persona as, ‘Goodie Two-Shoes Superman’ and you’re a major role model to kids. Is that job one?
A: I don’t consider that a job. I consider that a privilege, that I have a message powerful enough to get young people to listen — ‘Never give up.’ And to get them to pay attention to stuff like the impression they leave on people. And sometimes it doesn’t make me the coolest kid in school, but I’m very happy with the message I have to send. Very happy to be a role model.
Q: Who supported your dreams when you were younger?
A: I think I was just fortunate enough to be surrounded by a wave of individuals who affected my life. And that starts with growing up with four brothers, and having supportive parents, and wonderful coaches as a young athlete, and the influence of friends with an equal work ethic. And now just surrounding myself with likeminded people, people who work hard and are motivated to keep moving themselves forward in a better fashion.
Q: All those brothers! Anyone else in show business?
A: Right now it’s just me. Certainly, in my family dynamic there’s a level of showmanship, so everyone is at ease in front of an audience — whether it’s me in front of a crowd in an arena or family performances at get-togethers. I think everyone is happy in front of a crowd. Otherwise everyone leads a pretty normal life.
Q: As your movie career continues, should we expect to see you in a superhero’s cape and tights one day?
A: I do my cape wearing for the WWE.