- Kevin Eck of The Baltimore Sun has a new interview up with WWE
World Heavyweight Champion John Cena and here are some of the
highlights. For the full interview, visit BaltimoreSun.com.
Do you do many of your own stunts?
Yeah. Man, I just got to learn to put the stunt guys in every once
in a while. Getting beat up on the movie set is wearing on me. What we
do [in WWE] is live as it happens. There’s no cut, take three or take
four. I couldn’t imagine having to do a match over like eight times. It
takes its toll on you when you know you have a stunt day and the whole
day is going to be you getting beat up. You go home pretty sore that
day.
What do you think about Orton’s performances recently?
I’ve said this before and I said this before his – what is this, his
fifth or sixth “breakout?” – that he is the best guy we’ve got. He is
certainly the best performer of my generation.
Ted DiBiase Jr. is starring in the direct-to-DVD sequel to The
Marine. Did you talk with him at all or give him any advice before he
began filming?
I really think he has a lot of potential to be a success and another
person to kind of transcend the wrestling business into the movie
business. He’s a very hard worker, learns very, very quickly and
understands exactly what this opportunity is. That’s the one thing I
really tried to hit home with him. I said, “Listen, they’re choosing
you for a reason. The Marine did extremely well on DVD, so when The
Marine 2 comes out, just because of the franchise, the DVD will sell,
so you’re already involved with something that will be successful. If
you do a good job, that’s a great way for you to make a name for
yourself on to bigger and better things.” So I think he totally
understood that. I certainly didn’t give him much advice about acting
because he went through the same kind of torture chamber I did –
meeting with an acting coach all the time and really trying to do his
best. I just really hit home about how great the opportunity was for
him.
About a year ago, there were quotes from you in The Sun (U.K.) in
which you were critical of The Rock for not giving back to the business
after he made it in Hollywood. Do you still feel that way? Did the two
of you talk about the article in The Sun at all when he was at the Hall
of Fame ceremony last year?
No. I don’t want to say that you misread it; I may have been
misquoted. What I actually said, and I’ll stand true to it to this day,
I don’t even care, is that here’s a guy who, when he was with the WWE,
pounded his chest that he really loved the WWE, and that wasn’t the
truth. The truth is that Dwayne Johnson is a great actor and I think
always wanted to be an actor, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s
like an athlete saying, “Hey, I don’t do drugs,” and then getting
busted for drugs. It’s not the truth. I mean here’s a guy who said he
was WWE through and through, and then the first chance to take a road
to a different career path, he took it. There’s nothing wrong with
that. Dwayne’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. He’s one of the
hardest workers you’ll ever meet, and he certainly is a great actor.
The roadblock that I have, because I certainly am in love with this
business and I don’t see myself leaving it any time, is when someone
says that and then leaves, it cheapens our business. If he’s going to
say that, then back your word. That’s the only beef that I have and
that’s what I told the people at The U.K. Sun. It just cheapens that
phrase: “Oh, I love this business.” So then next time I come up and say
I love this business, well, the guy before me who said that left. That
doesn’t look good for me or our business.
Will your character ever turn heel again? Would you be open to doing it?
Here’s the deal with my character: I’m in a really unique place.
You’ve seen me get cheered, you’ve seen me get booed. Where I’m at
right now, there is no good guy or bad guy. I can just be me, with
certain little adjustments to my character, I guess, that makes me a
“good guy” or a “bad guy.” The people who are going to decide that are
the paying customers. When they get sick and tired of me, they’re going
to turn on me. And when they turn on me, I’ve openly shown in
situations where I get booed that I can turn on them back.
