John Cena Says His Agency Told Him to Not Do Barbie Cameo Because ‘This Is Beneath You’

John Cena would turn down the opportunity to appear Barbie that he didn’t listen to his instinct.

While appearing in a recent episode The Howard Stern Show, Cena, 46, revealed that his team advised him not to do the movie.

“So it’s not a big team, which I’m thankful for. I don’t have a promotion department. I only have a manager because it’s me and him. We’re kind of like a two-pronged fork,” Cena said.

“And the agency that goes out and tries to look for work, and I don’t bypass it for them, they just do what they know. And what they know is: ‘This entity, this commodity gravitates to these things, we should stay in this lane.’ But I’m not a commodity,” he continued. “I’m a human being and I operate under the assumption that every opportunity is an opportunity.”

John Cena visits SiriusXM Studios on February 21, 2024.

Jason Koerner/Getty

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Although the actor was busy shooting Quick X when he read the script, Barbie happened to be filming at the same studio, which allowed him to eventually run into Margot Robbie, who invited him to play the merman.

Although Barbie producer and star told him he would only have to go through “half a day” of the film, his agency still wasn’t convinced.

“I think the perspective from the agency’s point of view was, ‘This is beneath you,’ which I understood,” the WWE wrestler explained.

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“But also to the agency’s credit, they agreed right away, and I said, ‘No, we’re going to do it,’ but all I can do is offer my guidance,” Cena said. “They don’t ultimately make the decision.”

“And their guidelines are ‘The economics of the real trickle down from this can take you out of these lead spots in the circle.’ And I get it all,” Cena continued. “I have always worked under the philosophy that good work gives another chance.”

Listening to his instincts, Cena took part in the film that earned the highest opening weekend of 2023 and grossed over $1.4 billion worldwide.

John Cena and Dua Lipa in “Barbie”.

Warner Bros./Max

The film is up for eight awards at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

After Robbie failed to receive a nomination for Best Actress and Greta Gerwig was not nominated for Best Director, Cena shared with PEOPLE why he feels that “awards are not the only measure of success.”

“I try to operate under the construct of ‘What can I control?’ And I can’t change anything that happened,” Cena told PEOPLE at the film’s UK premiere Argyll.

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“I can let my friends Margot and Greta know that awards are not the only measure of success and that they made a film that did a tremendous job and changed many lives in the process,” he added. “And I think that’s one heck of an accomplishment.”

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Source: HIS Education