Vacation Friends star John Cena has responded to Dave Bautista's comments that he doesn't want to work with Cena or Dwayne Johnson on a movie. Despite being well-established actors at this point, with Bautista playing Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy, Cena appearing in The Suicide Squad as Peacemaker, and Johnson starring in the likes of Jungle Cruise and the upcoming Black Adam, all three started out as professional wrestlers in WWE. As such, the three are still often considered wrestlers-turned-actors, a label that Bautista has strived to step away from in recent years.
While Cena still makes appearances for WWE, most recently facing current Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WWE's SummerSlam pay-per-view event on August 21st, Bautista retired from wrestling in 2019. In an industry where retirements are rarely permanent, he has remained adamant that he won't be returning to the ring in the future. The actor has since also stated that he has a chip on his shoulder about proving himself as an actor and doesn't want to be considered just a former wrestler.
In June, a fan suggested to Bautista that he should make a movie with Cena and Johnson, to which Bautista responded by saying "Nah, I'm good." The actor later clarified his comments stating that he would "just prefer not to be lumped in. Nothing personal." Taking part in Esquire's Explain This YouTube series, Cena was asked if he had any response to Bautista's comments. Cena said that while he was sad that the actor doesn't want to work with him, he totally understands where Bautista is coming from. He also noted that he doesn't have "any beef with Dave" and described him as "one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet". You can read Cena's full statement below:
"Yeah man, I'm super sad about that because Dave Bautista is an unbelievably gifted actor, he's done some amazing work. But I think when someone makes a statement like that, I think the important thing is to try to look at things from their perspective. Dave has worked so hard on his craft and he is so dedicated to his characters and really wants to put forward a body of work that gives him his own identity. I one-hundred percent understand that. Dave is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, and one of the most generous guys you'll ever meet. I don't have any beef with Dave and I really, genuinely believe that Dave doesn't have any beef with me. He really just wants to be identified and recognized for his work. And I cannot fault him for that. I applaud him for it. To be brave enough to say something like that, kind of allows him to go forth on his own, and I appreciate that."
It's good to see that Cena bears no ill-will towards Bautista for his statements and continues to support his former colleague. The pair worked closely together during their tenure at WWE, including famously slipping up at the 2005 Royal Rumble event, so it makes sense that the pair would have a great deal of respect for one another. Cena's praise for Bautista's character is more than duly earned too - when Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn was unceremoniously fired by Marvel for some less than favorable tweets that the director had made years ago, Bautista was one of the director's most vocal supporters.
While Cena seems comfortable continuing to be a part of the wrestling industry in a limited capacity, it's understandable that Bautista would want to leave that behind and work solely on his acting career. A film starring Cena and Bautista would undoubtedly be more than enjoyable, but considering the latter's desire to prove himself as a serious actor and demonstrate his versatility, it's probably best that he wouldn't wish to work alongside Cena or Johnson in order to avoid any claims that the film is selling itself on its wrestling star power alone.
It's probably for the best, too, as the two actors haven't exactly gravitated towards the same types of films, other than both appearing in superhero films. At this point, Bautista has a number of stand-out performances under his belt, including as Drax, Sapper Morton in Blade Runner: 2049, and will likely continue with Glossu ‘Beast’ Rabban in the upcoming Dune. By contrast, Cena has focused on more comedy roles like his one in Vacation Friends, although it's starting to change somewhat after his performance in The Suicide Squad and the upcoming spin-off series Peacemaker. Maybe if the right film came along, then the two would be inclined to work together if they were comfortable, but doing so for the sake of a WWE reunion doesn't seem the best idea.
Source: Esquire
