How Filming Fast X Led To John Cena Being A Merman In Barbie

In 2005, John Cena rapped that we couldn't see him. In 2023, he couldn't be more visible. Cena, a former WWE wrestler, philanthropist, and seemingly all-around decent dude, has become one of cinema's more amusing and gregarious movie stars in recent years, appearing in light comedies and steely action films with equal aplomb. He hosts game shows, raps, and can speak Mandarin. As a screen presence, he is friendly, goofy, and quite good at playing lovable lugs and clueless dads. While he did appear in explosion-forward flicks like "12 Rounds" early in his career, Cena has rarely been sold as an action hero; he would sooner crop up in "Trainwreck" or "Fred: The Movie" than, say, "The Scorpion King." 

As such, the character of Jakob, whom Cena plays in "F9" and "Fast X," is a change of pace for him. In "F9," Jakob was essentially a villain, acting out against Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel), a brother who had left Jakob behind. By "Fast X," Jakob had joined the good guys, and even spent a long portion of that film looking after Dom's young son and playing into his "dippy dad" talents. Dom Toretto is such a powerful force for good that even villains eventually join his team and become part of the family. Crimes can be forgiven in the "Furious" world, but rejecting family is the true evil. 

Cena's next film will be Greta Gerwig's "Barbie," out in theaters this summer. In "Barbie," Cena will play a merman named Allan. He explained as much on a recent appearance on "Today with Hoda & Jenna."

While one might easily assume that Cena was deliberately sought after to appear in "Barbie," it seems his casting was actually the result of serendipity. Evidently, "Barbie" was filming right across the street from "Fast X," and Cena just happened to wander over one day.

Cena caught wind that "Barbie" was being filmed within walking distance, and made a beeline for the set. He really wanted a role — any role — in the "Barbie" movie. He told Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager that he talked to "Barbie" star and producer Margot Robbie. Describing his experience visiting the set, Cena called it "surreal," and said the movie will take everyone by surprise. When it came to his role, he more or less wanted to assure everyone that he was as available as possible saying: 

"[I] will pretty much do whatever you guys need. [...] [T]hey asked me if I wanted to be a merman, and I said, 'Yeah, sure.'"

It seems Cena and Robbie were friends, despite never having worked together (although they were both in the cast of "The Suicide Squad"). Not only did Cena want to appear in "Barbie," but Robbie felt the same way. Both actors were basically asking the same thing at the same time. Cena continued: 

"I haven't worked with Margot before. We literally randomly ran into each other as friends. 'Fast X' was filming across the street from 'Barbie'. And [she asked], 'Why don't you do Barbie?' I said, 'I've been trying!' And Margot makes a lot of the decisions for that and I said, 'Well, I'll do whatever you need.'"

Yes, Cena will be wearing a tail as a mermaid, and he'll be joining pop star Dua Lipa as a member of the mythical aquatic species.

"Fast X" arrives in theaters on May 19, and "Barbie" lands on July 21, 2023.