Were the Barbie movies too woke?
Tudor Dixon and Peachy Keenan dissect the new Barbie movie and the themes of awakening present in the movie on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
The “Barbie” movie may have broken box office records for Warner Bros., but not everyone was on board with the blockbuster before production began.
John Cena, a professional wrestler turned actor who made a brief cameo in the film as Merman Ken, says he was discouraged from taking the role because his agency deemed the role “low-class.”
Prior to this revelation, Cena explained that his team is actually made up only of managers, as he doesn’t work with publicists. However, he is working with his agency to secure his role. He is currently signed to WME agency, but has never directly mentioned it.
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling ‘frustrated’ after photos from ‘Barbie’ set go viral
John Cena was discouraged from taking on the role of Merman in the movie Barbie by his agency. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
“They’re just continuing to do what they know, and what they know is that this entity, this product, gravitates towards these things. We stay in this lane. But I’m not a commodity. I’m a human being.’ And I operate under the idea that every opportunity is an opportunity,” he said on “The Howard Stern Show.” .
“I read the script for the movie and tried my best to be in the movie, but we were filming ‘Fast.’ [& Furious],” He says a plan was hatched after he connected with producer and star Margot Robbie.
Margot Robbie scouted John Cena to appear in Barbie. (Viktor Simanovic/Anadolu Agency, via Getty Images)
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“Margot was like, ‘I’m going to make you a merman, I’m going to make you a merman for half a day.'”
Cena was interested in the concept, but the agency was not. “But I think the view from an agency standpoint was, ‘This is below you,'” he admitted. “I understand that. But to the agency’s credit, as soon as I said, ‘No, we’ll do it,’ they acquiesced.”
John Cena said he accepted the role of “Barbie” against his agent’s offer. (Jason Corner/Getty Images)
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“But all they can do is provide guidance,” he added. “They’re not ultimately making the choice, and their guidance is, ‘Hey, really, we might be out of the lead lap box because of the trickle-down economics that’s coming.'” That’s it. I understand everything. I have always operated on the philosophy that if you do a good job, you will get a second chance. ”
While promoting the film with co-star Ryan Gosling in July, Robbie was asked about Cena’s appearance and confirmed that she had some involvement in the film.
Margot Robbie not only starred in the movie, but also produced Barbie. (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
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“I happened to meet him in a restaurant while we were filming in London. We had worked together before,” she told Chris Van Villet.
“I thought, ‘Why don’t you try being the merman from Barbie?'” And he was like, “Oh, yeah.” And I thought, “I’m sure he won’t agree to it as it is.” And he did…but he’s so great. ”
Cena’s manager and WME representative did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
