John Cena Explains Why Action Movies Didn’t Work For Him

– The New York Times recently published an article on wrestlers who have moved on to acting, such as The Rock, John Cena, Kevin Nash, Edge and Batista. The article featured John Cena discussing his acting career and how the beginning of his acting career with action movies like 12 Rounds did not work as well for him. Below are some highlights.

John Cena on doing action movies: “Doing action wasn’t a real good fit for me because it’s the opposite of how I work. It was extremely choreographed and extremely scripted. I have a very good mutual understanding with my boss that I don’t ever want to leave; I really like it in the ring. I try to pick opportunities that don’t take me away from WWE for too long. I try to do opportunities that can really help expand our audience and bring new eyes to our product.”

Cena on working on Trainwreck: “When I walked into the audition with Amy Schumer and Judd Apatow, I had studied the script, so I knew the words. Then Judd goes, ‘Throw the script away and just talk about whatever.’ Amy is quick-witted. We had a nice exchange and it was like, ‘Yeah, O.K., he’s more than just a big guy.’”

Edge on getting into acting: “From the time I can remember, I wanted to be a wrestler. Acting was never an aspiration of mine.” About halfway through filming his first “Haven” episode, he realized he was having fun. Later that year, Mr. Copeland took his first acting class. He misses wrestling, he said, but acknowledges that the new gig has its perks.

Edge on the routine of his acting work compared to wrestling: “I’m still laughing at the end of a 14-hour day. Before, at the end of a 14-hour day, I’m driving to the next town after having just fallen off a ladder. Now I get to go back to a trailer where there’s a meal waiting for me? Yeah, I can handle that.”