John Cena insisted he “doesn’t own” his performances as he reflected on the drama surrounding his much-delayed film Coyote vs Acme.
John Cena stars in Coyote Vs Acme
The Looney Tunes movie was shelved by Warner Bros. in February 2024 as a tax write-off despite being completed, but the distribution rights were later purchased by Ketchup Entertainment and it will finally be released later this month, but the 49-year-old star’s view of the movie business hasn’t been tainted as a result.
Asked if the film’s difficult journey to release has affected the way he sees the industry, John – who plays the Acme Corporation’s attorney in the film – told Entertainment Weekly: “My answer’s not the common one, but no.
“I am hired by an employer to do a task, and it’s my job to prepare as much as I can, be early, be coachable, be passionate, and be reliable.
“I do that and hope for the best. Those expectations are beyond my control, so it doesn’t make me view the business any differently. Keep in mind, it is the movie business.”
But he stressed that doesn’t mean he agrees with the ecisions.
He added: “Sometimes, business decisions are things that we don’t see through the same lens.
“Of course, I want my work seen by an audience. That’s how I can accept both the positive and the negative and get better as a performer. But I don’t own my performance. I’m contracted to do a job, and the person who owns it gets to decide what happens with it.”
The WWE legend compared the situation to building a custom car for a private collector.
He explained: “I can put my heart and soul into it, 2,000 hours worth of craftsmanship on this thing, and you take the keys and put it in your garage for no one to see. You own it; you can do whatever you want with it.”
And John was happy just to have worked on the live action/animation hybrid film, which was directed by Dave Green.
He said: “Even if the movie never saw the light of day, the takeaway I have is that, with the things within my control, I got to be there on the ground with people who made me better and people I care about, and I got to do the thing.”
He praised the eventual release of the film as a testament to the audience,” who “kept this in the conversation for four years.”
He added: “I think that’s fantastic, and I can’t wait to hear the positive and the negative that’s going to come out of it. I always love good critique of my work. People are creative with their curse words.”