You can’t see me? Well, we can actually see John Cena everywhere nowadays, but no one’s complaining. More Cena, more fun. Whether it’s in WWE matches (an area he is soon set to step away from permanently) or in movies, TV shows, and talk shows, Cena keeps working. Still, the big screen continues to be his primary area of focus, with the wrestler-turned-actor appearing in a whopping 16 movies in the 2020s alone.
However, because John Cena tends to make better use of his 24 hours than most of us, he has had plenty of television gigs, too. At the moment, he is riding high with the second season of Peacemaker — a show that has often served as the best showcase of his acting talents (watch how bewildered he looks while in a parallel dimension in episode 1 of Season 2). Even James Gunn admitted to being awed by the star’s skills.
Here’s every TV role John Cena has played so far, ranked.
12
Himself
‘True Jackson, VP’ (2008 – 2011)
The Nickelodeon sitcom True Jackson, VP, stars Keke Palmer as a stylish teenager forced to juggle school work and corporate responsibilities after landing a job as Vice President of Youth Apparel at the fashion company Mad Style. In the Season 2 episode, “Pajama Party,” her best friend, Ryan, and Jimmy, a mail deliverer at the company, meet John Cena at the premiere of his action movie.
An Unnecessary Reminder That Cena Is a Big Deal
Cena can be anything. He can be yobbish, and he can be both pitiable and sympathetic, with a hint of measured, wounded innocence. Watching him play a dodo-brained version of himself is thus unimpressive. He’d have been better off playing a charming, cool-headed love interest to a sultry brunette, or something of the sort, not attempting to show Ryan and Jimmy how cool he is (he takes them on wild rides across town), yet they are aware of that. But, as always, Cena gives his all, and for a show targeted at audiences, his arc achieves its intended purpose.
11
Sammy Fak
‘The Bear’ (2022 – Present)
The Bear stars Jeremy Allene White as a talented haute cuisine chef, Carmy, who leaves the world of Michelin-starred restaurants behind to inherit his family’s failing Italian beef sandwich shop after the death of his brother. John Cena has a cameo in the Season 3 episode, “Children,” as Sammy Fak, a brother of the Fak siblings who often work at the restaurant.
Out of Place
According to Matty Matheson, who plays Neil, Cena was excellent on set. He said, “He was a pro. Showed up, didn’t even look at the script, was just fully prepared. Genuinely very inspiring, like, that’s how I want to show up on another set.” But even though Cena was great during the shoot (it shows how effortlessly he delivers his lines), he seems out of place in the finished product, perhaps too cool for the likable, unkempt regulars. He doesn’t look like a Fak bro. In comparison, a guest star like Bob Odenkirk really looked like he belonged to this world.
10
Himself
‘Hannah Montana’ (2006 – 2011)
Hannah Montana centers on Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus), a teenager living a double life as a pop star and a student. In the Season 4 episode, “Love That Lets Go,” her brother Jackson (Jason Earles) tries to put on a tough guy image while pursuing an alluring girl, so he challenges John Cena (rather than seek tutelage from the star) at one point.
Could Have Been Better
It was great watching Hannah Montana ride on Cena’s WWE fame at a time when he hadn’t made great steps into Hollywood. Having him as a tough guy in a show meant for younger audiences is a good idea since a huge chunk of his fanbase consists of kids. But Cena is like a dolphin in dirty water here. While his performance is decent, the episode is hardly intriguing. The one thing the show never really mastered is the art of narrative construction. “Love That Lets Go” is so disjointed it feels as if the whole thing was thrown together on the set, or someone randomly assembled it in the editing room from ad hoc videotape.
9
Baron Draxum
‘Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ (2018 – 2019)
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an animated reimagining of the popular superhero turtle story in which the brothers discover new powers and ancient weapons. Unlike the film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, where he voices Rocksteady, John Cena voices Baron Draxum, a villain in the series who aims to turn all humans into mutants.
Just Another Ordinary Villain
Based on the original lore, Rise strays far from realism, yet it is a triumph of noir storytelling. Cena does well as an archetypal cartoon villain, unleashing armies of lackeys and flaunting various gadgets and scientific inventions, while making outrageous remarks. However, nothing separates Baron Draxum from many other antagonists we’ve seen before. Worse still, Cena didn’t reprise his role in Season 2, suggesting either boredom on his part, or a tight schedule.
8
Gustav Ditters
‘Tour de Pharmacy’ (2017)
Tour de Pharmacy is a mockumentary television film that aired on HBO, satirizing doping in professional cycling. Presented in ESPN-style, the film circles back to the 1982 Tour de France competition, where almost every cyclist (including an Austrian cyclist played by John Cena) is caught using drugs.
A Maniacal, Juiced-Up Cyclist
It’s always interesting to watch athletes do everything to outfox their pesky rivals in sports comedy movies, and Tour de Pharmacy is quite the treat. This is not the kind of film that questions the morality of its characters. Its approach is mainly non-didactic and non-judgmental, neither justifying nor condemning the actions of its disgraced sports stars. Regrettably, Cena is underutilized (Dolph Lundgren plays his character’s older self). Additionally, Gustav is depicted as volatile and aggressive, a trope-tied characterization that offers nothing new.
7
Himself
‘Parks & Recreation’ (2009 – 2015)
Parks & Recreation covers the triumphs and tribulations of Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) in her role as the deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. Cena plays a villainous version of himself in a segment of The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show, a show-within-a-show existing in the sitcom’s universe.
Blink and You Miss Him
Johnny Karate has to be one of the most inspired appropriations of the martial arts format (it’s based on the Karate Kid franchise), gliding drunkenly between professional criticism, humor, and surreal farce as its hero’s tedious errands keep morphing into wild odysseys of slapstick and self-discovery. But Cena’s cameo is too short, leaving him with little space to showcase his acting prowess. And even in those few minutes, he appears as a ‘villain’ who gets dunked, leaving little for viewers to be impressed with.
6
Ewan O’Hara
The ‘Psych’ Franchise
The Psych franchise (show and revival movies) follows Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez), a witty, observant slacker who convinces the authorities at the Santa Barbara Police Department to hire him as a psychic detective. Cena plays Ewan, the older soldier brother of Detective Julia O’Hara (Maggie Lawson), in the Season 4 episode, “You Can’t Handle This,” and the TV movie, Psych: The Movie.
Cena as a Serviceman Once Again
“You Can’t Handle This” and Psych: The Movie are hella entertaining, but how much of their awesomeness is down to John Cena, and how much can be attributed to the sensation-oriented plots that the writers consistently churn out without fail? It’s hard to tell whether any other actor could have created an everlasting myth out of a gun-toting soldier, but there were always guarantees with Cena. After all, he has played military characters before (notably in The Marine and The Wall) and has been involved in real world causes involving veterans. Here, the actor channels both his grit, charisma, and inner “funny guy,” resulting in an enjoyable, all-round performance.
5
Robo
‘Dallas & Robo’ (2018)
Dallas Moonshiner (voiced by Kat Dennings), a thrill-loving space trucker, and her partner Robo (voiced by John Cena), a humble warrior-poet robot, haul cargo across dangerous galactic territories in Dallas and Robo. From shady smugglers to cosmic hazards, they always have a fresh problem to deal with.
Another Fun Space Adventure
Dennings is fine in the title role, but this is strictly a John Cena affair. Put on your seatbelt and enjoy. His character is weird, but he epitomizes our most fervent desires for adventure and free-living. Overall, the animated series is like Rick & Morty with a Fast & Furious spice. Why it only lasted a single season is a mystery. Raunchy humor is perfectly blended with space-western elements, parodying both sci-fi tropes and American transport culture. We’ve seen a human and a robot get along well before, but Cena always knows how to say sentences with a reflective tone that makes you care more than you should.
4
Dad Figglehorn
The ‘Fred’ Franchise
The Fred franchise, airing on Nickelodeon, is based on Lucas Cruikshank’s YouTube character Fred Figglehorn. The titular character is an eccentric teen with wild adventures and a shrill voice, often getting caught up in misadventures. Cena plays Fred’s imaginary dad, who the character conjures as a replacement for his absent biological father.
Dad Cena
Cena holds us in his thrall with one of his most vital, heartwarming and engaging performances in years, leaving viewers in no doubt that there is no faking in the love-for-kids attitude that he always channels in WWE. Here, his character sees something magic behind Fred’s conflicted and occasionally mousy exterior. Soon enough, he transforms Fred into a confident young lad. He keeps it simple, with direct lines and fatherly expressions, reminding us all that the Fred franchise has always been a fun, heady riff on parenthood, that’s tailor-made for younger audiences.
3
Hunter Cain
‘Generator Rex’ (2010 – 2013)
Generator Rex introduces us to a world where microscopic machines called “nanites” have infiltrated the bodies of all its organic life. Living beings with activated nanites are labeled Exponentially Variegated Organisms (E.V.O.), and in the Season 1 episode, “Hunter,” the antagonistic Cain targets infected humans. His hatred of EVOs stems from a tearful event when his wife turned into one of them.
A Prejudiced Vigilante
‘Generator Rex’ creates a darkly hilarious and moving satire of one man’s obsession with genocidal warfare in a dystopian society. Much credit goes to Cena, whose powerful voice gives Cain a commanding presence and adds weight to his misguided motives. The character is the perfect foil to the hero, Rex, mercilessly breaking all the rules and manipulating the public into turning on someone they’ve always adored. As a whole, Cena’s role serves as a critique of vigilante justice, as well as prejudice and public manipulation.
Source link
Add Comment