In a weekly series USA TODAY’s key factsCelebrities talk about what drives their lives whether at home, on set or on the go.
For a guy known for his electrifying WWE performances, falling through a ceiling is something new for John Cena.
The pro wrestler/actor puts his comedic chops – and his real ones – to good use in an action-packed role in the new film “Jackpot!” (out Thursday on Prime Video), which is about a dystopian Los Angeles where lottery winners must be careful not to get murdered by their roommates in order to get their money. Aspiring actress Katie Kim (Awkwafina) walks in on a lucky ticket, and Noel (Cena) is the amateur security agent she hires to make sure she stays alive and takes home $5 billion.
They meet when he bursts into a karate dojo, a “crazy” appearance that “sets the tone for his behavior,” says Cena, who enjoyed “taking on the role of a particularly virtuous character, especially since everything around him is a little more self-centered and unreliable.”
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He has had an interesting career with comedic performances in films such as “Ricky Stanicky” and “Blockers” as well as in the DC superhero series “Peacemaker,” whose second season he recently wrapped. The 47-year-old actor and wrestler is also preparing for his farewell tour in a WWE ring next year. He talks about what he needs in wrestling and acting, which rappers he likes and how much he loves uniforms.
Whether acting or wrestling, John Cena needs coffee
Cena says that “the ability to make the entrance” is an essential part of life on set and in the ring, but also: “I need coffee.” His preference: “I love a good flat white or a 6-8 ounce latte. Gosh, I love the strong taste of coffee with just the right amount of milk.”
So it’s safe to assume Java will be part of Cena’s 2025 WWE retirement tour – he has 36 dates around the world ahead of him, and one of them will hopefully be the first episode of “Monday Night Raw,” which will air live on Netflix in January. He has “absolutely processed” that the journey he’s been on since 1999 is finally coming to an end. “I’m turning 48. It’s going to be tough to keep going at this pace,” he says. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, and I think that’s why it’s such a positive thing and why I’m so excited about it.”
The 16-time WWE Champion lives for a well-groomed appearance
At premieres and red carpets, which he often attends with his wife, Shay Shariatzadeh, Cena is usually seen in a fine, tailored suit. “Funny thing is, when I got the chance to make WWE my calling, I was so happy because I said to myself, ‘Now I’ll never have to own a suit again,'” he recalls. But when he started appearing in public, he was able to have a suit made for him “that felt like a tracksuit,” and was delighted. “You can choose the fabrics, you can choose the lining and the seams, you can put together how you want it to look. It’s a way of getting ready for the day,” says Cena, who still refuses to hire a stylist. “I don’t want to wear something that someone else thinks is cool.”
For Cena, “uniformity is what I’m comfortable with,” and that includes the ring, where he continues to wear his “Superman outfit”: T-shirt, jorts and baseball cap. “It never gets boring. It’s always exciting,” he says.
John Cena’s hip-hop influences include Nas, Jay-Z and Public Enemy
Cena’s “Jackpot!” character raps “Turtle Power” while cleaning his gun – fitting, since Cena himself actually released his own rap album, “You Can’t See Me,” in 2005 during his “Doctor of Thuganomics” WWE era. He grew up in Massachusetts and was exposed to hip-hop at a young age. Over the years, as he went from rapping as a teenager to spitting bars in the ring, artists like Nas, Rakim, Jay-Z, Eminem, Public Enemy, Slick Rick and others proved influential.
Just don’t ask him for a quick freestyle these days. “It’s a tool that’s kind of fallen by the wayside,” Cena says. “I bring the character back in WWE occasionally, but I can’t tell you how long it takes to write eight rhymes, or about five rhymes that are worth anything. It’s just so much harder than it used to be.”
Cena’s mother-in-law has an amazing chicken recipe
Noel jokes in “Jackpot!” that he’s eaten 8,000 chickens in his life. How does that compare to Cena’s actual poultry consumption, which has helped him gain muscle mass over the years? “It’s close,” he says, laughing. “The fact that he got it to an exact number and that it was a round number is maybe not funny enough. I think we should have practiced that a little bit.”
So, yes, Cena has eaten a lot of chicken in his life, but his favorite dish is undoubtedly his wife’s mother’s chicken tagine: “It’s a Persian rice and chicken dish and I look forward to it every holiday.”
