John Cena’s unexpected announcement as part of the cast in the Barbie movie back when the teaser was released in April has now been followed by a first reveal of his character – and it’s quite something.
The ex-wrestler who now stars in Hollywood is amongst an impressive roster in Barbie, headlined by Margot Robbie as the iconic doll, with Ryan Gosling portraying her partner Ken who’s grappling with his secondary role.
The movie stars other renowned Barbies played by Emma Mackey (Physics Nobel Prize-winning Barbie), Issa Rae (President Barbie), Sharon Rooney (Attorney Barbie), and Nicola Coughlan (Diplomat Barbie), as well as Kens brought to life by Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Ncuti Gatwa.
Popstar Dua Lipa will show up as the iconic blue-haired Mermaid Barbie, and she’s also creating the movie’s theme song, Dance The Night.
It seems Cena will portray her merman counterpart – possibly even her romantic partner.
Despite having no character poster or appearances in trailers or clips so far, the DC actor, Cena, 46, was fully dressed as ‘Kenmaid’ in a behind-the-scenes documentary broadcasted on Wednesday night by iHollywoodTV on YouTube.
Cena’s ‘Kenmaid’ attire includes a lengthy blonde curly wig and a cream seashell necklace with a sizable purple seashell pendant.
As he sits in a costume trailer, the top part of his tail can be barely seen, with a Barbie mermaid inspiration board behind him, hinting at purple elements in it.
On talking about the film, the star acknowledges that the concept left him ‘astonished’.
He thinks it will be an appealing film for all viewers, sparking conversation and providing eye-catching visuals.
Speaking to the camera, he says that ‘the project should evoke varied opinions among the viewers, which makes the film more entertaining rather than invoking a singular emotion.’ He adds that he anticipates ‘spirited debate’.
Some fortunate fans got a peek of Cena as ‘Kenmaid’ during the Barbie panel at CinemaCon last April, but this is the first time it’s made public.
With the picture now available online, a broader pool of fans can now share their reactions.
One thrilled person exclaimed, ‘OH HES TAKING IT,’ while another tweet read: ‘This is going to be so camp.’
‘With each update on #Barbie, I believe it can’t get better, but then something new happens, and I love it!’ a third fan stated.
Some were making jokes, with one commenter joking: ‘The Rock could never pull this off and John Cena has never been more attractive.’
‘Barbie is going to rake in a Barbillion dollars at the Barbox office,’ another fan forecasted.
Barbie will premiere in the UK on Friday, July 21, 2023.
