WEBVTT - Ep28 - John Cena / "The Wall" 0:00:18.880 --> 0:00:22.160 You're listening to playback a Variety podcast. I'm your host, 0:00:22.239 --> 0:00:25.000 Variety Awards Editor Chris Tapley. I don't know if any 0:00:25.040 --> 0:00:28.080 of our listeners are professional wrestling fans, but i am. 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:30.920 I have been for quite a long time. Actually, I'm 0:00:30.960 --> 0:00:34.240 a fan of storytelling in general, to be honest, and uh, 0:00:34.320 --> 0:00:37.760 you know, the athletics with professional wrestling are impressive, but 0:00:38.320 --> 0:00:40.680 if they don't mean anything, then the business of sports 0:00:40.760 --> 0:00:43.800 entertainment can't work. And I've always been very fascinated by that. 0:00:44.640 --> 0:00:46.639 If you think about it, someone like Rick Flair. These 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:49.400 guys are playing characters for forty years and who else 0:00:49.400 --> 0:00:51.919 can you really say that about? So that's always been 0:00:51.920 --> 0:00:55.000 intriguing to me. And along the way, naturally, a number 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:57.200 of w W superstars have made the jump from the 0:00:57.280 --> 0:01:00.120 ring to Hollywood, whether it be Whole Cogan or De 0:01:00.240 --> 0:01:02.279 Roddy Piper or The Rock, who is one of our 0:01:02.320 --> 0:01:05.640 biggest box office draws in the industry today. My guest 0:01:05.680 --> 0:01:07.959 today has made the same leap he waited in a 0:01:08.000 --> 0:01:10.800 decade ago with movies like The Marine in Twelve Rounds, 0:01:11.319 --> 0:01:14.560 but lately he's been accelerating. He's hilarious in films like 0:01:14.640 --> 0:01:17.640 Sisters and train Wreck, and he's in a great new 0:01:17.680 --> 0:01:20.000 movie this summer from director Doug Lyman called The Wall. 0:01:20.400 --> 0:01:22.360 His name is John Cena, and we're very happy to 0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:24.280 have him. Thanks for coming on the show Man, Thanks man. 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:28.160 As I said in the elevator earlier, congratulations on the 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:31.119 engagement recently, thank you very much. You and Nikki Bello 0:01:31.160 --> 0:01:36.039 were engaged at WrestleMania this year, which, uh, I'm curious because, 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:38.480 like you know, you guys live a life a career 0:01:38.600 --> 0:01:43.320 where reality and story bleeds in a lot together. But nevertheless, 0:01:43.319 --> 0:01:46.000 with something that intimate, the moment that intimate, did it 0:01:46.080 --> 0:01:48.760 feel weird to share it on such a massive stage 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:53.600 like that? Was certainly nervous. And I get excited every 0:01:53.600 --> 0:01:56.960 time I performed with w W E, but very rarely 0:01:56.960 --> 0:01:59.840 do I get nervous. And I was very nervous on 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:04.240 because it was such a genuine moment um and you 0:02:04.320 --> 0:02:09.920 have a stadium full of fans who oftentimes are vocal 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:12.080 and I'm not afraid to tell you how they feel, 0:02:12.120 --> 0:02:16.400 and and oftentimes I'm not exactly their favorite, so um, 0:02:16.440 --> 0:02:22.760 I wasn't sure how they would receive the moment, and 0:02:22.760 --> 0:02:26.000 I was very very grateful that they they understood that 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:28.160 it was real and genuine and provided me with literally 0:02:28.200 --> 0:02:30.320 the greatest moment in my life. Yeah. I mean I 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:32.560 got engaged in Central Park and I felt weird about 0:02:32.600 --> 0:02:34.880 just like the five or six people that were around us, 0:02:35.080 --> 0:02:37.040 you know, So I can't imagine just it was. It 0:02:37.080 --> 0:02:39.240 was really a good time. And um, you know, I've 0:02:39.280 --> 0:02:42.440 I've dedicated a large chunk of my life too w 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:44.440 w E, and I consider my home and I consider 0:02:44.480 --> 0:02:47.600 the audience my family. Um, it was a really big 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:50.160 moment for Nicole and I being on the same team 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:53.480 at the biggest stage that w w has to offer. So, 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:56.320 you know, partners in life and and I guess partners 0:02:56.760 --> 0:02:59.400 in w w E. And uh, I couldn't think of 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:02.200 a better play. And the one thing I was worried 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:05.480 about was everybody else's opinion. But I still went through it, 0:03:05.520 --> 0:03:07.520 and I'm so glad that I did. It's a it's 0:03:07.520 --> 0:03:09.600 a memory that I'll have forever. Good do you guys 0:03:09.600 --> 0:03:12.520 have a date? That's up to the boss. And I 0:03:12.560 --> 0:03:16.240 know she's working on it. She's working on but um, 0:03:16.280 --> 0:03:17.720 you know, I believe you're taking a little bit of 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:19.800 a break away from the ring right now, only because 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:22.919 movie companies won't. They won't let you do both. It's 0:03:22.960 --> 0:03:26.000 a it's an insurance risk. And uh, as much as 0:03:26.040 --> 0:03:28.600 I'm trying to change the way the game is being played, 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:32.320 sometimes I totally understand that. If I'm filming something and 0:03:32.320 --> 0:03:34.200 then go off and get a broken nose like I've 0:03:34.200 --> 0:03:36.360 been known to do, and come back with my nose 0:03:36.360 --> 0:03:38.840 on the side of my face, um, it's not good 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:45.240 for the movie. So another unbelievable fun moment. But it's 0:03:45.280 --> 0:03:47.800 just one of those things where I deep down and 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:50.440 wish that it could work, but I understand why it 0:03:50.480 --> 0:03:54.080 can't work well that I'm still interested, because like, I 0:03:54.120 --> 0:03:56.440 know how passionate you are about w W E and 0:03:56.440 --> 0:03:58.960 and expanding the brand and everything. But do you nevertheless 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:02.160 fill the feel the siren call, like do you long 0:04:02.240 --> 0:04:05.360 for the moments away at all? No? No, I don't. 0:04:05.600 --> 0:04:10.560 I love every minute of it. Traveling with the brand 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:14.760 and watching essentially the same show night after night after 0:04:14.840 --> 0:04:18.360 night still is unbelievably interesting to me. If you talk 0:04:18.440 --> 0:04:20.160 to any of my co workers, I do my best 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:23.839 to digest as much of the product as I can, 0:04:24.120 --> 0:04:29.479 and I love just the constant, ever changing energy that 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:31.719 is the live audience. I think it's like no other 0:04:31.960 --> 0:04:36.160 just it literally keeps me creatively inspired. And you had 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:39.960 mentioned storytelling, and I love trying my hand to telling 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:43.240 different types of stories and playing the same character for 0:04:43.320 --> 0:04:46.039 essentially a decade and a half now, I've had to 0:04:46.080 --> 0:04:49.320 tell a whole lot of stories and it never gets old, 0:04:49.360 --> 0:04:52.640 it never it's not fun. I've never had a bad 0:04:52.680 --> 0:04:56.680 day at work, So I don't you know, like I'm 0:04:56.720 --> 0:04:59.640 I'm well aware that physically I will be unable to 0:04:59.640 --> 0:05:03.400 compete long before my heart grows cold or my brain 0:05:03.480 --> 0:05:07.400 stops working in a sports entertainment capacity. And you mentioned 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:10.279 the live audience a movie like The Wall. It's interesting 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:13.159 to me because there is another film called Free Fire 0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:16.000 that's out this year, and both of these movies reminded 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:19.040 me of the theater. Uh, largely just because of their 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:22.800 single setting situation. I mean, certainly they both come up 0:05:22.800 --> 0:05:25.040 with their own cinematic language to tell the story. But 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:28.440 that element made me think about the theater and if 0:05:28.440 --> 0:05:30.400 somebody like you would be interested in like plays or 0:05:30.400 --> 0:05:33.880 something like that, because you know you're halfway there with that. 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:37.280 I've been, um, I've been in kind of a risk 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:41.120 taking mode as far as creativity. And I think I 0:05:41.160 --> 0:05:44.040 think that's important in order to push creativity. I H 0:05:44.760 --> 0:05:47.279 I really dedicated myself to learn in my craft. And 0:05:47.320 --> 0:05:50.080 you had mentioned the marine in twelve Rounds. Those are 0:05:50.520 --> 0:05:52.120 those are projects I was kind of told to do 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:56.919 um and and begrudgingly did them. And I don't have 0:05:56.960 --> 0:05:59.160 any regrets about them. It just I learned a lot 0:05:59.200 --> 0:06:01.880 about what what I don't want to be involved with 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:05.200 and and the value of getting involved with something that 0:06:05.240 --> 0:06:08.360 you're passionate about. And that's that has been the key 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:12.200 to sustainability for me. It's just being involved with whether 0:06:12.240 --> 0:06:14.279 it's on the on the business side, brands that I 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:17.800 care about, on the creative side, projects that I care about, 0:06:17.920 --> 0:06:21.080 or you know, at home in w W. Just being 0:06:21.120 --> 0:06:23.640 invested in stories and being passionate in stories. It it 0:06:23.880 --> 0:06:28.120 um It helps. So I don't want to say that 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:32.040 I'll never do theater, because if if I have an 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:34.839 opportunity to do something that that sounds like I'm I'm 0:06:34.880 --> 0:06:39.920 invested and I'm invested in it, why not. Yeah? Uh, 0:06:40.240 --> 0:06:43.680 let's talk about the Wall. I thought this movie was awesome. 0:06:43.760 --> 0:06:46.719 I just thought it the other night. Doug Lenman again 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:50.520 as the director. But what interestingly it's a bit of 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:52.800 a one man show for Aaron Taylor Johnson. Is he 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:55.960 is just outstanding? Yeah? Yeah, but your presence is uniquely 0:06:56.000 --> 0:06:58.880 felt throughout the film. So what I'm wondering is what 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:00.560 made you say yes to the project to begin with? 0:07:01.120 --> 0:07:04.200 Because it was an unbelievable read. I I you know, 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:08.880 I had no idea of what, who, who was going 0:07:08.920 --> 0:07:10.640 to direct the movie, who was gonna be the co star. 0:07:10.760 --> 0:07:14.160 I read the script in one sitting and was unbelievably 0:07:14.200 --> 0:07:15.760 moved by it and said, yes, I want to do 0:07:15.800 --> 0:07:18.280 this in any capacity. It wasn't like I read for 0:07:18.400 --> 0:07:20.680 this role and I want to do this. I read 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:22.480 this script, I thought it was great, and I knew 0:07:22.480 --> 0:07:25.200 that I could. I knew within my skill set I 0:07:25.240 --> 0:07:28.800 could provide a good contribution to this movie. And then 0:07:28.800 --> 0:07:31.000 the people came back who are running the joint, and 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:32.480 they said, we would like you to do this role 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:35.560 of Sergeant Matthews. I said, no problems, go yeah, I 0:07:35.560 --> 0:07:37.160 know you've done a lot for the troops in your 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:38.560 time as well. I mean, was that part of it 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:41.840 as well? Like I said, I mean that the story 0:07:41.960 --> 0:07:45.760 was just unbelievably riveting, and the fact that you get 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:50.720 to to showcase a different take on combat, one of 0:07:50.880 --> 0:07:54.800 intense psychological warfare and certainly a movie that brings the 0:07:55.160 --> 0:07:59.320 viewer on its own psychological ride. It's amazing. That's a 0:07:59.320 --> 0:08:03.160 psychological a cat and mouse game between a sniper and sniper, 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:05.880 but it also throws a lot of curveballs for the 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:08.800 viewer as well. Um, it was an honor to be 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:11.320 able to play an army ranger, but I mean it was. 0:08:11.440 --> 0:08:13.600 It was. It's really cool to be part of an 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:16.200 awesome story. Yeah, I went into a totally cold cold 0:08:16.200 --> 0:08:18.000 I didn't even see a trailer or anything. I kind 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:20.800 of recommend that actually, because you're right. I mean, it 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:23.200 takes you on a on a ride and Aaron is 0:08:23.240 --> 0:08:26.040 amazing in the film. How'd you like working with Aaron? 0:08:26.160 --> 0:08:31.040 He is a unbelievable professional. He had so much to 0:08:31.080 --> 0:08:36.800 be responsible for shouldering the movie. M His Southern accent 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:40.520 was unreal. Uh. He did another one in Nocturnal Animals, 0:08:40.559 --> 0:08:45.680 just all of his remembering ninety pages of dialogue and 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:48.440 because uh, people may or may not know. The movie 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:51.599 was shot in two weeks and in fourteen days. He 0:08:51.640 --> 0:08:55.520 would have to jump. Depending on how severe the sandstorms were, 0:08:55.920 --> 0:08:57.560 he would have to jump from scene to scene, and 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:01.480 we would have a certain schedule and then just out 0:09:01.480 --> 0:09:03.280 of the blue, change it and he would just fall 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:07.280 from piece to piece. He was flat out amazing like it. 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:10.800 It was. It was really awesome to watch him work 0:09:11.960 --> 0:09:16.439 in the desert, and it's in the undisclosed California desert 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:20.000 in the middle of hot season. It was. It was awesome. 0:09:20.120 --> 0:09:22.080 It was it was fun. And I just I just 0:09:22.120 --> 0:09:25.640 did a commercial shoot this morning with a gentleman who 0:09:25.720 --> 0:09:29.160 was a camera assistant on the movie. He said, hey, man, 0:09:29.200 --> 0:09:30.920 I remember from you from the Wall. That was a 0:09:30.920 --> 0:09:32.880 tough one out there, And I said tough one in 0:09:32.880 --> 0:09:34.840 a good way. He's like, yeah, man, I never felt 0:09:35.679 --> 0:09:38.160 so gratified after every single day. It was like you 0:09:38.280 --> 0:09:42.679 left every day just beat to crap, but you wanted 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:44.640 to go to work the next day. And I think 0:09:44.679 --> 0:09:48.400 everybody from from myself and Aaron and Doug to anyone 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:51.880 on the on the pitcher felt really rewarded after like 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:53.800 a They felt like they put in a hard day's work. 0:09:54.000 --> 0:09:55.840 It's easy to pull away for the two weeks too. 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:59.439 I guess regarding your other work, it was great. I um, 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:02.600 they they only obviously I was only needed for I 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:05.160 think ten of the shooting days or nine of the 0:10:05.160 --> 0:10:09.800 shooting days, and in between I rehearsed and hosted the SPS. 0:10:10.160 --> 0:10:12.840 I was able to main event Madison Square Garden, and 0:10:12.920 --> 0:10:15.199 I was able to go to uh Tokyo on behalf 0:10:15.240 --> 0:10:18.920 of the WW as well, So it worked out fantastic. 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:20.520 I meant to ask, Actually, I was trying to put 0:10:20.520 --> 0:10:23.640 it together, what was going on with WW at the time, Like, 0:10:23.640 --> 0:10:26.880 what like when you filmed this with uh Man? That 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:29.680 was like that was literally right around when I was 0:10:29.840 --> 0:10:35.280 filming the SPS, so rehearsing. I'm I'm not sure who 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:39.280 I was kind of incohots with maybe a j yeah. Stuff. 0:10:40.240 --> 0:10:43.160 Speaking of Doug Lyman, I had first of all, how 0:10:43.160 --> 0:10:45.080 did you like working with Doug? He was amazing. He 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:54.320 was amazing any individual that is creative and driven like I, Um, 0:10:54.360 --> 0:10:57.040 I'm a sucker for efficiency and I'm just a sucker 0:10:57.080 --> 0:11:02.840 for like a well oiled machine, and I also love 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:07.280 being creative. I'm that that weird mix of like, Okay, 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:09.760 we have to get in, get out, and get onto 0:11:09.760 --> 0:11:11.440 the next one, but at the same time we have 0:11:11.520 --> 0:11:14.920 to take time to absorb and tell a good story. Um. 0:11:15.360 --> 0:11:19.680 He He was awesome. He was unbelievably creative. He knew 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:22.240 his vision, he knew what he wanted. He certainly knew 0:11:22.240 --> 0:11:24.760 how to get the best out of me. Somebody was 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:27.280 still getting their their feet solid in this whole thing. 0:11:27.800 --> 0:11:29.520 He knew he had a short thing in Aaron, and 0:11:29.559 --> 0:11:31.400 he knew he only had fourteen days to shoot. He 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:34.360 never wavered, He was never stressed. He was always just 0:11:35.440 --> 0:11:38.400 crazily excited, showing up, you know, every day covered in 0:11:38.440 --> 0:11:40.320 dirt when he left. Every day, he would get down 0:11:40.320 --> 0:11:42.400 in the dirt if he if he needed to to 0:11:42.520 --> 0:11:45.640 motivate you like he was. He was a wonderful leader 0:11:45.640 --> 0:11:48.120 for the film and it obviously it shows on screen. Yeah, 0:11:48.720 --> 0:11:50.839 he's got two films this year, so he's working hard 0:11:50.840 --> 0:11:53.079 as well. Uh. And speaking of him, we had Jon 0:11:53.160 --> 0:11:55.960 Favreau on the show last year talking about Jungle Book, 0:11:56.440 --> 0:11:58.240 and I just wanted to pick his brain about Swingers 0:11:58.240 --> 0:11:59.839 because it's one of my favorite movies and it was 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:04.160 celebrating a twenty anniversary at the time. Uh, you know 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:05.640 when it was a big movie for me when I 0:12:05.679 --> 0:12:07.640 was coming up. So I was just curious for you. 0:12:07.880 --> 0:12:09.680 We know you're a big W W E fan as 0:12:09.720 --> 0:12:11.400 a kid, But were you a big movie buff? Two? 0:12:11.920 --> 0:12:15.360 I think movies are the fabric of all of our lives. 0:12:15.400 --> 0:12:19.280 I think as a I mean, ever since the debut 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:23.640 of the motion picture, it's been something to go do UM. 0:12:23.720 --> 0:12:27.320 Just like anything, it's I have my list of favorites, 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:29.720 and and everyone else has their list of favorites, and 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:35.560 for different reasons. I think with any sort of UM 0:12:35.800 --> 0:12:38.720 method of entertainment or sport, you can go as far 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:40.920 down the rabbit hole as you want. I have a 0:12:40.960 --> 0:12:43.080 group conversation that never ends with a bunch of high 0:12:43.080 --> 0:12:46.880 school friends where we often uh talk back about baseball 0:12:47.000 --> 0:12:50.040 and and my knowledge and baseball is is general. But 0:12:50.160 --> 0:12:53.040 I have some baseball heads who just go way down 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:54.920 the rabbit hole and they kind of lose me. Like 0:12:55.000 --> 0:12:56.800 it could be said the same for for w W. 0:12:56.920 --> 0:12:59.240 E could be said the same for cinema. So I 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:00.840 think it's it's like saying, how man, what do you 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:03.520 listen to? From music? If I definitely have a list 0:13:03.520 --> 0:13:06.240 of favorite movies, you gotta give me a couple of Uh. 0:13:06.360 --> 0:13:09.880 I loved The Big Short just recently, I love Blazing 0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:13.400 Saddles as a favorite. UM. The entire story arc of 0:13:13.440 --> 0:13:17.040 Star Wars, even the first three where everybody, you know, 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:19.960 they don't they don't enjoy I just love the continuous 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:24.160 good story of good versus evil. Um the Matrix films. 0:13:24.200 --> 0:13:26.320 I loved all of them. I think they were not 0:13:26.360 --> 0:13:30.160 only cutting edge, but such a wonderful look at existence 0:13:30.600 --> 0:13:33.520 and in the same vein I'm I'm a huge Prometheus fan, 0:13:33.600 --> 0:13:36.080 but not like an Aliens fan. I'm a huge Prometheus fan, 0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:38.560 looking very much forward to the next one. I just 0:13:38.600 --> 0:13:42.240 saw it the other day, very much Prometheus too. I 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:44.600 love it. I love it. It's so exciting, so very excited. 0:13:44.679 --> 0:13:46.480 You're gonna like it. So do you have like a 0:13:46.520 --> 0:13:49.160 list of filmmakers that are like on your wish list 0:13:49.240 --> 0:13:52.200 that you want? You know? I think any and And 0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:53.800 this is the thing. It's like I've been I've been 0:13:53.840 --> 0:13:55.199 doing a lot of interviews lately, a Primo on the 0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:58.319 Wall obviously, and everybody's asking me like, well, what's your 0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:00.080 dream role and who would you like to work with? 0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:06.200 I guess because I had the luxury of being paired 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:09.040 with so many diverse individuals in w w E, and 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:11.640 I've had the luxury of being in there with Hall 0:14:11.679 --> 0:14:13.440 of famers, and I've had the luxury of being in 0:14:13.480 --> 0:14:16.640 there with people who are literally just learning their craft. 0:14:17.280 --> 0:14:21.200 And I find as long as there is passion, a 0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:27.240 passion can cover a lot of weak points because it's genuine. 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:30.520 So everyone's always asking me, like, what do you want 0:14:30.520 --> 0:14:32.200 to do next? And the response is the same. I 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:35.120 know when I'll read it. If I read something and 0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:37.200 I'm moved by it, and I know I want to 0:14:37.240 --> 0:14:40.040 be part of it. At least I'm invested even before 0:14:40.040 --> 0:14:42.040 I get the job. And then on top of that, 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:44.640 if I if I'm fortunate enough to work with a 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:47.560 Hall of Fame team, that's great. I just did The 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:50.880 Wall with with Doug Lyman, but simultaneously, right now I'm 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:53.840 filming The Pact with Kay Cannon, the first time director. 0:14:54.760 --> 0:14:57.400 But she loves the movie so much, and so do I, 0:14:57.600 --> 0:14:59.480 and so does everybody in it. So it's a it's 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:03.480 a print process, but a wonderful process because everybody steps 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:04.880 on the set. I want to make a good project 0:15:05.200 --> 0:15:06.720 as long as I can get that vibe. Man, it 0:15:06.800 --> 0:15:10.320 doesn't you know that's that's a good method for success. 0:15:11.080 --> 0:15:15.600 You've also got later this year, Blue Sky's so excited 0:15:15.600 --> 0:15:18.120 about that, voicing the lead in that that's gotta be 0:15:18.240 --> 0:15:20.400 just cush work right to show up. And I mean 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:23.040 I don't need you know you know what you say 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:25.720 that the deal with the v O stuff and and 0:15:25.800 --> 0:15:27.720 Blue Sky knows what they're doing. They did ice Age 0:15:27.760 --> 0:15:29.840 and they did Rio. They won't let you vo for 0:15:29.920 --> 0:15:32.200 more than four hours because they think your voice deviates, 0:15:32.280 --> 0:15:34.800 so they truly know what they're doing. They want to 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:36.880 get you in blocks of maybe three or four days 0:15:36.880 --> 0:15:38.480 at a time, not to wear you out too much, 0:15:39.040 --> 0:15:41.800 but it is you get out of it what you 0:15:41.880 --> 0:15:45.680 put into it. Um Carlos, who's directing the picture, is awesome. 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:49.320 He is an animator, like a pure animator. When he's 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:52.640 in the booth, he's so animated and like he's another 0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:55.080 one who just closes his eyes and can see the 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:58.400 movie while you're reading, and then knows when he sees 0:15:58.520 --> 0:16:01.160 the read that you need for the animation because the 0:16:01.200 --> 0:16:03.200 already is a great idea on the animation. It's like, 0:16:03.440 --> 0:16:05.360 all right, we're good, go ahead and move on. Like 0:16:05.480 --> 0:16:08.560 it's I I don't want to say. I mean, you 0:16:08.640 --> 0:16:10.400 are in a studio. It's kind of like we're doing 0:16:10.440 --> 0:16:13.680 here in a podcast, but like this is work. I mean, 0:16:13.720 --> 0:16:15.160 you have to. You have to do your research, you 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:17.440 have to do your homework, you have to you have 0:16:17.560 --> 0:16:19.640 to actually produce the thing and make it like I'm 0:16:19.920 --> 0:16:23.160 and and I'm I'm very excited for Ferdinand, obviously, because 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:26.240 when you can do a cool project, that's one thing. 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:28.120 When you can send a good message at the same time, 0:16:28.200 --> 0:16:31.920 that's another. And I've tried so hard through all the 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:35.960 the back and forth with the audience and the w 0:16:36.160 --> 0:16:40.600 w E to maintain my integrity. I think that's very 0:16:40.680 --> 0:16:43.680 important because when you send a message of like, it 0:16:43.800 --> 0:16:45.880 doesn't matter what other people think as long as you're 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:49.120 comfortable in your own skin. You have to be comfortable 0:16:49.160 --> 0:16:51.120 in your own skin, and you can't change when people 0:16:51.120 --> 0:16:52.800 are asking you to change, like, no, this is me, 0:16:53.120 --> 0:16:56.560 like it or not, this is me. And the ethos 0:16:56.640 --> 0:16:59.720 of Ferdinand is very much it's it's okay if you're different, 0:17:00.280 --> 0:17:03.720 and it's just it's a wonderful ride to wonderful movie. 0:17:03.760 --> 0:17:05.479 And I was so very fortunate to be a part 0:17:05.520 --> 0:17:07.359 of I can't wait for You probably have to wait 0:17:07.359 --> 0:17:09.200 a while before you can really get some feedback on 0:17:09.320 --> 0:17:11.480 something like that, right, because you have before you can 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:13.800 sit down and see the movie, see something I've seen pieces, 0:17:13.920 --> 0:17:16.240 and the great thing about animation is you can see 0:17:16.280 --> 0:17:20.720 it in stages and and I never lost I never 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:22.879 lost that crazy imagination that I as a kid. So 0:17:23.000 --> 0:17:25.840 even when they show like animated storyboards which are legit 0:17:26.880 --> 0:17:29.520 bare bones sketches, you can see it. You can see it, 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:32.200 and then it comes to life more and more and more. 0:17:32.680 --> 0:17:36.000 So I've seen the movie. You just in really rough form, 0:17:37.000 --> 0:17:39.480 which helps you develop the voice and the mannerisms and 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:41.600 all that, and then you see a few finished scenes 0:17:41.640 --> 0:17:45.560 and man, it's it's pretty special. Well that's later this year. 0:17:46.160 --> 0:17:50.679 Speaking of voice work, I saw this thing. You were 0:17:50.760 --> 0:17:55.960 channeling your best Gordon solely on self. Paul Regional's so 0:17:56.080 --> 0:17:58.159 happy with Let me explain what that is to some 0:17:58.240 --> 0:18:00.000 people might not know. You should check it out. It's 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:02.960 on YouTube South Paul Regional Wrestling. It's a number of 0:18:03.119 --> 0:18:07.639 WW superstars and they're playing like characters from a nineteen 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:11.000 eight seven regional wrestling outfit. And I grew up in 0:18:11.080 --> 0:18:13.960 North Carolina, so you know, watching Smokey Mountain and n 0:18:14.119 --> 0:18:16.480 w A and everything. So it was right in my 0:18:16.520 --> 0:18:18.960 wheelhouse and you guys were cracking me up. It's like 0:18:19.000 --> 0:18:22.560 a long lost VHS kind of thing. Uh, so go 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:25.600 check that out, but first talk to me about that 0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:28.159 first of all, like just being able to cut up 0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:30.840 with the boys like that, because it's interesting they that 0:18:30.960 --> 0:18:33.399 kind of creative outlet wasn't always there and things like 0:18:33.440 --> 0:18:37.080 the WW network and digital media allows you guys to 0:18:37.600 --> 0:18:39.600 do something like that. It used to be like you'd 0:18:39.840 --> 0:18:42.880 show up at the Norfolk Scope or Sportatorium or whatever 0:18:42.960 --> 0:18:45.200 and then you drive to the next one and that 0:18:45.359 --> 0:18:47.720 was the job. But with this kind of thing, you 0:18:47.800 --> 0:18:51.760 can really expand the world of sports entertainment in a way. 0:18:51.960 --> 0:18:56.639 That is that is because of our w W universe. 0:18:56.680 --> 0:19:01.000 As we are our audience disclamorous for intent. We are 0:19:01.520 --> 0:19:05.080 one of the highest socially active programs on television. We 0:19:05.160 --> 0:19:08.879 have global outreach um our. Our YouTube is one of 0:19:08.920 --> 0:19:10.560 the Our YouTube channel is one of the very few 0:19:10.640 --> 0:19:12.639 that is like Diamond play on YouTube, so it has 0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:15.920 the highest rating as far as user approval and consistent 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:18.960 content and South Pause a YouTube series of digital show. 0:19:18.960 --> 0:19:22.360 It certainly about five minutes a piece, and it's amazing 0:19:22.600 --> 0:19:26.719 because it captures everything of that era. But we never 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:29.720 show any wrestling right and it's so great and it 0:19:29.840 --> 0:19:33.320 just goes to show, like you said, how far sports 0:19:33.440 --> 0:19:38.200 entertainment has come, because the sports entertainment of your the 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:41.120 old WWF for the w W attitude era, or even 0:19:41.320 --> 0:19:43.119 when I you know, when I started coming in as 0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:47.159 a as a newer generation post attitude era. Um, you 0:19:47.359 --> 0:19:50.359 very much focus on your brand and only your brand, 0:19:50.480 --> 0:19:53.600 like you are Okay, John Cena. Character is this And 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:56.040 I remember, you know, being the hip hop guy like 0:19:56.880 --> 0:20:00.000 dressed hip hop, made an album, made videos like freestyle 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:02.000 how people in the parking lot and you you have 0:20:02.240 --> 0:20:07.000 to It's very much like constant method acting. And and 0:20:07.480 --> 0:20:09.719 that was me. I love hip hop culture. I love 0:20:09.840 --> 0:20:13.159 that like eighties and nineties boom bab culture. But at 0:20:13.200 --> 0:20:15.800 the same time, that's not all me. You know. I 0:20:15.880 --> 0:20:18.159 also love to tell jokes, you know I I if 0:20:18.200 --> 0:20:20.880 you get me in the right scenario, I'm pretty decent 0:20:20.920 --> 0:20:24.639 with my hands in a fight. Like there's there's certain 0:20:24.720 --> 0:20:26.960 facets of your personality, but because you have to identify 0:20:27.080 --> 0:20:29.600 with the audience, you try to showcase the one that 0:20:29.640 --> 0:20:32.640 will resonate the most. And in my case, the fact 0:20:32.680 --> 0:20:34.840 that I've been on TV for fifteen years, I've my 0:20:34.920 --> 0:20:37.159 life has been an open book to these people. So 0:20:37.359 --> 0:20:40.040 now I'm at the point where I really have a 0:20:40.119 --> 0:20:43.320 lot of fun and I like to to mess around 0:20:43.359 --> 0:20:46.280