John Cena on filming The Marine: ‘My heart wasn’t in it’

John Cena didn’t take ‘The Marine’ seriously.

While talking at the Boston Fan Expo recently, the former WWE Champion spoke about his first foray into film, starring in The Marine. Although he was the featured star and was promoted heavily during WWE television at the time, Cena recalled he had other things on his mind.

“I didn’t take it seriously. The movie came out in 2006, and I believe it was shot in 2005. I wanted to be world champion. The movie was fun, but I wanted to be elsewhere,” he explained. “That’s a huge takeaway because for me, if you’re not present, then you’re dealing with constant distractions. My heart wasn’t in it.”

“Now, when I’m on set, I’m there like I would be in a WWE arena, and I’m passionate about my work. You need to be present, and that was my biggest takeaway,” he added.

Cena would go on to win a world title in WWE a record-breaking seventeen times, with the most recent title reign starting at this year’s WrestleMania by defeating Cody Rhodes. The two met in a rematch at SummerSlam, with Rhodes winning back the title. Cena has also made a successful transition into film and television, with a second season of Peacemaker premiering on August 21.

The Marine would go on to earn $32 million at the box office and would span several sequels with the most recent film, The Marine 6: Close Quarters, releasing in 2018.