John Cena says Barbie was a ‘mistake’, recalls how he shot the Greta Gerwig film and Fast X at the same time

John Cena opened up about being cast in Greta Gerwig's Barbie which starred Margot Robbie in the lead role.

Updated on: Jul 9, 2025, 16:46:57 IST

By Santanu Das

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John Cena had a small cameo as Mermaid Ken in Greta Gerwig's Barbie, but most fans still remember his brief appearance in the film. In an interaction with Vanity Fair, John talked about his acting journey in Hollywood so far, and revealed how he was offered Barbie by Margot Robbie because of a random coincidence.

What John Cena said about Barbie

During the interaction, John Cena said, “This was the second time I was getting to act beside my acting bestie Dua Lipa! I hope she is doing well. This is a mistake! I had met a person at dinner, and I was having an intimate moment with my wife and that involved me communicating with that person but not in my normal tact. I was like, ‘Man, I want to do something nice for them and I am going to pay for their dinner. It was a table that Margot Robbie was hosting and I didn’t even know it!”

Meetup with Margot Robbie

He then went on to share about this conversation with Margot, which led to an offer to do Barbie. “Of course, I had the fortune of working with Margot before in Suicide Squad and she is the absolute best, with aspirational work ethic and aspirational professional talent. She said I am doing Barbie and I said I am doing Fast X… we were literally across the street from each other. She said come over and do Barbie. I said I would do anything. I believe in your project and I think it is going to be cool… It goes against what people think of me. Who cares? What's the worst that can happen? I like to think about what can go right…. I always rely on instincts. We did all this in two hours. It was fast!”

The Greta Gerwig film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken respectively, released in 2023 and surpassed $1 billion at the global box office.

John was recently seen in Heads of State, also starring Priyanka Chopra and Idris Elba. The film is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Santanu Das
Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’. A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own. Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience. Find him on LinkedIn: santanudasfilm Instagram: @santupechaRead More

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