John Cena’s star is rising in the industry thanks to being in DC’s Peacemaker and the Fast and Furious franchise. He is establishing himself as a bankable action star right alongside giants like Dwayne Johnson and Mark Wahlberg. In Fast X, the actor has been able to show off his acting muscles again.
It can’t be denied that Cena has been a blessing for the Fast and Furious franchise. Not only did he bring his star power and fanbase but also his charm. However, when talking about the casting process for Fast 9, Cena recalled that he didn’t have to audition, and neither did he initially have to sign a contract.
John Cena Reveals Weird And Enigmatic Meeting With Vin Diesel For Fast 9
In an interview with Josh Horowitz for his Happy Sad Confused podcast, John Cena revealed how he came to meet Vin Diesel for the role of Jakob Toretto in Fast 9. The actor revealed that he initially didn’t even know there was a meeting and even when he did meet Vin Diesel, he was surprised and termed it as a surreal experience. The Suicide Squad star said:
“I don’t know what I did to get a meeting… I got a notification that Vin wanted to get together and I said sure and it wasn’t about the movie, it was meeting Vin Diesel because those things don’t happen a lot to me. So I met him at the Toretto dojo, where he trains, has the black charger there… It was surreal.”
The actor later said that Diesel didn’t discuss the movie at all with him. Instead, he just started an Instagram Live and announced that Cena was now a part of the franchise. The Peacemaker star said:
“We meet, we talk about life, philosophy, nothing about the movie. It’s almost like we are sizing each other up, but I have no reason to size him up… So I am hoping I don’t get punched and then he just goes live on Instagram. He has 60 million followers and he is kind of inviting me into the movie, and I haven’t been given a formal job yet by Universal, but I am in the movie apparently because I have Vin Diesel’s blessing.”
After hearing the entire story, even the interviewer was surprised and said it was the best casting story he had ever heard. But that’s not all. John Cena revealed that he initially had no idea who he was going to play as well.
John Cena Entered The Fast And Furious Franchise Blindly
During the interview, John Cena mentioned that he had no idea who he was going to play in the franchise. But he did get a second meeting with Vin Diesel where he was told who he was going to be, and that blew the star away. Cena said:
“We really connected and through the video, he announced to the world that I will be in the franchise. And then later I had another meeting with him, where he said, ‘You’re not just in, you’re a Toretto.’ Me being a fan of the franchise, it meant you are not just in, you’re a champion, you get to be immediately on the winning team.”
The actor’s passion for the role and the franchise shines through clearly in the interview. Cena even said that he tried to take a Toretto cross with him as memorabilia after filming, but he wasn’t allowed to because “they guard that thing like a nuclear football.” In the end, the actor was genuinely thankful for Vin Diesel and his friendship. The DC star said:
“He’s a great friend and we reach out to each other with no agenda. No what can I do for you. We just check in on each other and that’s what real friends do.”
Vin Diesel is known for beefing with co-stars like Dwayne Johnson, but it looks like the actor has established a genuine friendship with Cena. Also, with Johnson returning to the franchise, it looks like all’s well in the Fast and Furious world.
Fast X is now playing in theaters.
Source: Happy Sad Confused
