Today, WWE icon John Cena is a well-known Hollywood star. But very few people know Cena had his first acting role only after another WWE legend declined it, setting the 16-time World Champion up for his acting career.
‘The Marine’ was a movie produced by WWE Films along with 20th Century Fox in 2006. Though it starred Cena, he wasn’t initially cast for the role.
WWE Hall of Famer ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin was the first choice to play the lead in the film, but he pulled out of his role mere weeks before shooting.
Vince McMahon picked John Cena to replace Austin
Cena narrates how he had a brief meeting with Vince McMahon and was on his way to shoot the movie.
Speaking with GQ, about his role in ‘The Marine,’ ‘The Cenation Leader’ said, “This was originally a role that was written for Steve Austin and two weeks before shooting, Steve backed out for whatever reason. That’s a conversation for him. Vince said ‘hey, I gotta send you to Australia.’ I said ‘okay, what am I doing?’ And he said ‘well, you’re gonna be in a movie.’ ‘Okay, when?’ ‘I gotta send you in 10 days.’ I pretty much left a small meeting in his office and packed my bags and went to be in the movies, which I knew nothing about.”
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This last-minute change could’ve been the reason the movie didn’t do well. It received a lot of negative reviews from the fans and critics alike.
This was indeed not an ideal start to Cena’s Hollywood venture. However, ‘The Doctor of Thuganomics’ would go on to showcase his acting skills at a much higher level.
‘The Marine’ franchise continued with four more sequels to its name. Former WWE wrestler Ted Dibiase Jr. featured in the second part while 8-time WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz has starred in the last four sequels.
Cena has become a successful Hollywood actor
The abysmal reviews of ‘The Marine’ seem a thing of a distant past for John Cena. The ‘Franchise Player’ has since gone onto achieve tremendous success in Hollywood. After having measured success at the beginning, he starred in hit franchises such as ‘Transformers: Bumblebee’ and ‘Fast and Furious’.
He also gained immense popularity, impressing with his acting skills as ‘Peacemaker’ in DC’s ‘Suicide Squad’. Later he also got his own TV show based on the same titular anti-hero character, which has received critical acclaim.
Cena is now a popular Hollywood name, having successfully transitioned from the WWE and long may that continue.
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