Freelance, Peppermint Director Says Jennifer Garner Would Beat John Cena in a Fight (Exclusive)

Jennifer Garner “showed exceptional combat skills” filming ‘Peppermint,’ Pierre Morel remembers

Liam Neeson, Sean Penn, Jennifer Garner and now John Cena have one thing in common: kicking ass in a Pierre Morel movie.

Since the great success of the kidnapping drama directed by Neeson Enterprises In 2008, the French director-cinematographer made a name for himself in Hollywood by casting A-list actors in similarly dark and gritty action films. Penn starred in the 2015 spy drama Gunmanwhile Garner played a grieving mother on a quest for revenge in 2018. Peppermint.

Now that Cena is joining the director’s action-packed cinematic universe Freelancer (now in theaters), Morel is uniquely qualified to answer the main question on the audience’s mind: If they were pitted against each other, which of these bad actors would win in a hand-to-hand fight?

“It’s hard,” Morel, 59, tells PEOPLE with a laugh. “They are all equal… I wouldn’t want them to go against each other. The four of them would be quite something!”

After some thought, however, the director adds, “Maybe actually Jennifer Garner.”

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(Left to right:) John Cena, Juan Pablo Raba and Alison Brie in “Freelance”.

Santiago Garcia/freelancer

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Along with Alison Brie, Christian Slater and Juan Pablo Raba, Cena leads the way Freelancer as a former special forces operative hired as personal security on what turns out to be a dangerous mission in the middle of a military coup. Morel calls the wrestler-turned-actor, 46, “a beast of a man, so precise and so sharp.”

In an imagined matchup between Cena and the other stars he’s worked with, Morel says, “John, obviously physically, can do a lot of things. He would probably be the strongest because it used to be his job, he’s a wrestler, he’s a fighter.”

“But,” he continues, “Jennifer showed exceptional fighting skills when we were shooting Peppermint.”

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Garner, 51, told PEOPLE upon Peppermint2018 release about playing a character who becomes “a machine,” as she put it.

“I developed MMA skills, gun skills, knife skills. It was a connection with the physical that made me understand her fight for her daughter in a way,” he said Daredevil the alum said then. “The fact that she just says I’m a mom, I’m taking care of this and I’m going to do what I need to do. That inspires me.”

Freelancerwritten by Jacob Lentz, is more of an action comedy than Morel’s previous screen work — a genre the director says Cena is eminently suited to.

“He was born for this,” confirms Morel. “He’s got physicality and he’s hilarious.”

Cena’s days as a professional wrestling champion prepared him for a career in action-packed films, he adds. The wrestlers “know how the show works and they know how to make fun of themselves.”

John Cena and Pierre Morel shoot “Freelance”.

Santiago Garcia/freelancer

Who in Hollywood would Morel like to work with next? “There are so many fantastic actors who never had the chance, who never acted, but [who] would be great for that,” he replies. “Obviously, the more unexpected, the better it’s going to work.”

Whoever he casts the gritty, possibly revenge-driven role next, Morel says they’ll have to have the same dramatic acting chops that Neeson, Penn, Garner and Cena had. “It’s not just about the plot, but also about the character and the emotional connection we have with them. If it’s just action for action’s sake, it’s not fun.”

Freelancer now playing in cinemas.

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Source: HIS Education