- John Cena told "Today" that he was cast in "Barbie" after an "accidental run-in" with Margot Robbie.
- Cena said that he asked Robbie, who is the lead of the movie, for a part in "Barbie."
John Cena said that being cast in the highly-anticipated "Barbie" movie was a "happy accident."
When the second teaser for the "Barbie" movie was released in April, the former WWE wrestler was surprisingly featured among the cast list. It was later reported that Cena is playing a merman Ken, who is a love interest for Dua Lipa's mermaid Barbie.
When asked about the casting on Monday's episode of "Today," Cena said that his latest movie, "Fast X," was shooting "across the street" from "Barbie," and he landed the part after bumping into lead actor Margot Robbie.
"I haven't worked with Margot before. We literally randomly ran into each other as friends," Cena said. "And she said, '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.'"
Cena said that producers offered him the merman part following Robbie's intervention.
The 46-year-old actor added: "It was a happy accident. I think 'Barbie' and 'Fast X' share a lot of parallels. Their cast list is amazing. The 'Barbie' cast list is amazing. The 'Fast X' cast list is amazing."
Cena also said on Monday's episode of SiriusXM's "Pop Culture Spotlight" with Jessica Shaw that he had previously auditioned for a role in the movie before talking to Robbie.
"They were putting out open casting for the movie. I get it, I wasn't a piece for the puzzle. That's fine," the "Peacemaker" star said. "I tried. I was rejected and then I saw Margot and she was like, 'Why aren't you doing this? We're filming across the street.'"
He continued: "I think a lot of times people think for people saying, 'Oh, he wouldn't do that.' And I agree with you, I don't think there are any small parts. A chance is a chance. An opportunity to show your skill or develop a new skill, that's fantastic. That's why I want to do all this stuff, so I think once they realized I would just be grateful to be involved, they were like, 'Yeah, you can do this.'"
Cena also said on "Today" that the movie is "surreal" and will "take people by surprise."
The "Barbie" cast is filled with multiple rising stars such as Ritu Arya, Simu Liu, and Nicola Coughlan, as well as recognizable names in Hollywood including Ryan Gosling, Will Ferell, and Helen Mirren.