John Cena almost turned down Barbie cameo due to agency’s concerns

John Cena, who played a mermaid in Barbie, almost turned down the cameo role due to pressing concerns from his agency.

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie continues to be one of the biggest movies in the world as it sweeps countless accolades throughout the 2024 award season.

Though it has been praised for its score, wardrobe, and set design, one of its most defining features is its star-studded cast with the likes of Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae, and many more.

However, one of the standout celebrity cameos almost didn’t come to fruition as John Cena recently revealed he nearly turned down his Barbie role due to some concerns from his agency.

Cena’s agents thought Barbie cameo could hurt his brand

The wrestler-turned-actor appeared on The Howard Stern Show, where he stunned the host by revealing that his iconic Barbie cameo almost didn’t happen due to his backing agency as they thought being in such a ‘girly’ film could ruin his reputation as a serious leading man.

Cena was filming for Fast X on a lot near the Barbie set when he accidentally ran into Robbie, who then pitched him a cameo role on the spot.

“Margot was like, ‘We’ll make you a mermaid. You’ll be in it for half a day.’ [So I said] yeah, sure,” Cena explained, “But I think the perspective from an agency standpoint was, ‘This is beneath you,’ which I get that. But also to the agency’s credit, immediately they acquiesced, and I was like, ‘No we’re going to do it,’ but all they can do is offer their guidance.”

Cena continued stating, “[The agency is] just going on what they know. And what they know is, ‘This entity, this commodity gravitates toward these things, we should stay in this lane.’ But I’m not a commodity. I’m a human being, and I operate under the construct of every opportunity is an opportunity.”

“They’re not ultimately making the choice. And their guidance is ‘truly trickle down economics from this may take you out of these lead lap slots.’ And I get all that. I’ve always operated under the philosophy that good work gets you another chance.”

Despite his agency not being on board with the decision at first, Cena ended up being in the film for less than a minute total, opposite pop star Dua Lipa, who also played a Barbie mermaid.

Gerwig’s film went on to make over $1.4 billion at the box office and earned eight huge nominations at the Oscars, including Best Picture, so Cena definitely made the right move by trusting his gut over industry what-ifs.