John Cena has become far more entrenched in the movie industry in recent years. After his successful run in the WWE, Cena has turned to acting, showing off his surprising comedic abilities, as well as his talent for taking on big action roles. Some of the parts Cena has signed up to play have been a little bizarre, though.
Clearly, Cena doesn’t want to be typecast and has instead gone for roles that make him laugh. He has played some really memorable characters across his career so far and there’s no doubt that he will continue to choose completely strange movie roles as he looks to try and cement his legacy on screen.
Mitchell: Blockers (2018)
No one knew quite what to expect when Blockers was first announced. Deemed to be just another bawdy teen comedy, the film actually shocked both audiences and critics alike with both its laugh-out-loud moments and authentic story.
Cena plays Mitchell, one of the parents who discover their daughter’s plan for prom night. The character comes across as an emotionless muscle-head, yet by the end of the film, he has proven to not only have a soft side, but enough love for his daughter that he was willing to chug a beer … where it shouldn’t be chugged.
Jakob Toretto: Fast And The Furious 9 (2021)
The Fast And The Furious franchise is always based around family. It’s a little wacky for Dom Toretto to actually have a secret brother though, yet nonetheless, that’s exactly who Cena will be portraying in the next outing for this series.
It’s a strange combination, with Diesel and Cena becoming not quite believable as siblings, but only time will tell just how strange this combination will get. Fans were certainly shocked when they saw the trailer for the film, but only its release can give the answers audiences seek about the part.
Roger: Daddy’s Home 2 (2017)
The original Daddy’s Home had Cena appear in a very quick cameo as yet another father that Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg had to compete with. The sequel upped the ante, introducing Cena as one of the main cast members, Roger.
Roger is perhaps the coolest of all the dads in the movie, making even Wahlberg’s parenting look meek. It’s quite a comedic role, but it’s also a strange one. Roger clearly is a different kind of parent, but he has a big heart, even if he is weirdly keen to start a fight or be the star of his own karaoke session.
Ferdinand: Ferdinand (2017)
John Cena has taken on a few voice acting roles in his career thus far, but one of the most “out there” has to be as the titular character in Ferdinand. The animated film is an underrated hit, and the premise is based around a bull.
The film is ultimately about this calm and gentle beast finding his way back home, after being mistaken for a dangerous monster. It’s beautifully animated with a great voice cast, but it was certainly an odd choice for this early in Cena’s career.
Yoshi: Dolittle (2020)
Of course, the recent flop Dolittle certainly beats Ferdinand in terms of its wacky animal roles. Cena voiced the polar bear, Yoshi, joining an absolutely packed cast of stars who likely all believed that this really could be the next big franchise.
Unfortunately, the movie did terribly at the box office and received a poor critical response. The premise of Dr. Dolittle has always been a bit strange, but add to this a bagpipe playing dragon and audiences really didn’t know what to make of this family film.
J.C.: Surf’s Up 2: WaveMania (2016)
Every now and again the WWE crosses over with a well-known animation franchise, placing their own stars alongside well-known characters. They’ve done it with The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo and WaveMania was an attempt to achieve similar results.
Cena plays J.C., a variation of his own wrestling character who happens to love surfing. Of course, the difference with this animated world is that all protagonists happen to be penguins, making for quite the original story and visual design.
Fred’s Dad: Fred The Movie (2010)
Many will remember the teen comedy sensation Fred, who made a career off of his voice and bizarre antics. From YouTube to TV, the Fred character eventually got his own movie and a blockbuster feature like this needed a star-studded cast.
Fred’s father was actually played by John Cena himself, as a version of his wrestling character. It was a strange part to take on, a sort of parody of what fans were used to on-screen. This was also a figment of Fred’s own imagination and the results were truly bizarre yet memorable.
Pazuzu: Sisters (2015)
The talented Tina Fey and Amy Poehler teamed up to play two sisters in the appropriately named Sisters. Like so many other films in the genre, these siblings were the complete opposite of one another and had to find a way to co-exist and reconnect.
They throw a huge party in their house and need a drug dealer to help liven things up. Cena plays that drug dealer, complete with face tattoos and trademark beanie. His wacky, straight-faced performance demonstrated that Cena really had what it took to thrive in a comedy setting.
Peacemaker: Suicide Squad (2021)
Comic book fans will know just how odd Peacemaker really is. The character can be off the wall, using extreme violence in order to sustain peace. It’s quite the paradox, although one that Peacemaker himself never seems to realize.
His appearance in the upcoming Suicide Squad has fans buzzing and the news that a spin-off TV show of the character was also being developed for HBO Max, has only increased that anticipation. Cena will likely knock this role out of the park.
Gustav Ditters: Tour De Pharmacy (2017)
Tour De Pharmacy was a strange concept in itself. A mockumentary tracking the lives of cyclists who had been taking performance-enhancing drugs, the film was, in part, based on real-life events, but the characters themselves were over the top inventions of the writers.
Cena plays Gustav Ditters, one of the key athletes who has begun doping in this TV movie. Cena really holds his own against other comedy greats, even with his weird choice of accent. All anyone really needs to know about Gustav though, is that he can definitely ride fast – with a little help, that is.
