The 'Peacemaker' actor gets candid on why he turned down the merman role in the Greta Gerwig-directed movie and he 'gets' why his agent told him to reject the offer.
- Feb 25, 2024
AceShowbiz - John Cena rejected the chance to play a merman in "Barbie" as he was told it was "beneath" him. The wrestler-turned-actor, 46, has claimed his team advised him not to take a role in the film, which grossed a record £1.47 billion at the global box office, said he could have easily taken the part as it was shooting in the same studio lot as the "Fast X" movie he was making at the time.
"So it's not a big team, which I'm grateful for. I don't have a publicity department. I have a manager only because it's me and him," he told "The Howard Stern Show" about how he missed out due to his advisors.
"We're kinda like a two-prong fork. And an agency that goes out and tries to look for work, and I don't put it past them, they're just going on what they know."
"And what they know is, 'This entity, this commodity gravitates toward these things, we should stay in this lane.' But I'm not a commodity, I'm a human being, and I operate under the construct of every opportunity is an opportunity."
John was offered the merman role in "Barbie" when he bumped into its star Margot Robbie, 33, on the studio lot. Even though the "Barbie" producer and lead actress told him he would only have to do "half a day" on the hit film, his agency still wasn't convinced.
Opening up about how he understood their business approach despite the film going on to be a smash, John added, "I think the perspective from an agency standpoint was, 'This is beneath you,' which I get that."
"But also to the agency's credit, immediately they acquiesced, and I was like, 'No, we're going to do it,' but all they can do is offer their guidance."
"They're not ultimately making a choice. And their guidance is, 'Truly trickle down economics from this may take you out of these lead lap slots.' And I get all that. I've always operated under the philosophy that good work gets you another chance."
