For John Cena, the actor and former World Wrestling Entertainment star, taking on a lead role in “Matchbox: The Movie,” on Apple TV, was risky business.
“I haven’t been the absolute lead in an action franchise since my days in W.W.E. films as the Marine, so it’s essentially a different space for me,” he said of playing an undercover C.I.A. agent who takes his childhood friends — and fellow Matchbox car enthusiasts — on a wild ride. And yet, he said, “I’ve worked long and hard in my life to be able to swing big at creative opportunities I’m drawn toward.”
Cena retired from the W.W.E. in December after nearly 24 years and 17 world championship titles.
“The passion in me wants to wrestle forever because it is extremely rewarding,” he said. But looking at the data, he saw that 25 pounds of muscle mass were gone, and his vertical jump and 40-yard dash time were down. And he was almost 50.
He could jeopardize his health, he reasoned, or be grateful for more than two decades of “moments that not even my child self would dream of, and choose to walk away,” he said.
In a call from Vancouver, Cena explained why espresso shops, the gym and mentorship landed on his list. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Connections With Loved Ones
When times are good, a party for one isn’t much of a party, and when times get tough, going it alone makes the hill much steeper to climb.
My Wife, Shay
Far more than a best friend, she is my soul mate and, equally important, my teammate. In my time on Earth there have been a very small number of people that continuously make me the best version of myself. She is the top of that list.
Security and Risk
My life has been a series of lottery tickets. Many have hit, many have not, yet I find great purpose in always playing. I feel I need an uncertainty to work toward and at the same time those risks are more often perused when a sense of security looms. Growing up with financial peaks and valleys in a household of five brothers made me extremely aware of the valleys.
Coffee Shops
Having traveled for over 20 years and been around the world multiple times, I realized I had seen nothing except airports, gyms and arenas. I now make it a point to make time for coffee. My preferred order is a flat white — a double shot of espresso, served in a 6-to-8 ounce mug with steamed milk. I try to allocate 90 minutes to enjoy this experience. It gives me a look at life through the care in which it’s made.
The Gym
A nonnegotiable time allocation in my life for the past 37 years. The longest I have ever taken off is five days, most times due to surgical procedures. This does not mean that I push my body to its breaking point. My gym experiences have evolved, yet the gym, its burden and yield, has always remained constant.
Cars
I have always been enamored with cars. My earliest memories are playing with Matchbox toys in the dirt at the corner of our driveway in West Newbury. Even at a young age I didn’t just play cars. I collected, imagined and obsessed with cars. My favorite was a 1970 Oldsmobile 442.
The W.W.E.
I dreamed as a young kid — there’s a very iconic picture of me with a homemade paper championship belt — about one day being a W.W.E. champion. I am so glad that the reality is far, far more rewarding that the fantasy.
Curiosity
This has been an attribute that I’ve been lucky enough to carry through many chapters and has become a deliberate value that I take inventory on regularly. Am I interested in new things? What was your last unexpected takeaway? Both a newfound discovery of reading and observation have helped me sustain not quite a youthful level, but one that I feel is exercised as much as my physical frame.
Mentorship
Luck is something I’ve yet to be able to manufacture, yet I feel through the course of my journey I’ve been astute at recognizing it when it shows up. Lots of this is backed by incredible mentorship. In reflection, I may have been searching for someone I wanted my father to be — which is not at all fair to the man I love and respect very much — yet it did allow me to trust and experience some incredible coaching. Vince McMahon [a co-founder of W.W.E.] would be the most influential of my life.
Life Itself
We will all die. The main driver for me is to face my mortality. On the surface this seems dreadful and gloomy. Yet the simple fact of “I will die” helps me, without fail, daily. It allows me to ask more questions. How will I spend my time? What’s my biggest problem right now? What corrections do I need to address to be the person I say I am?
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