The Suicide Squad star John Cena says that the South Korean K-pop group, BTS, was his go-to music to enjoy while filming for James Gunn's latest entry into the DCEU. In the film itself, Cena portrays a rogue vigilante called Peacemaker who is recruited by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to join Task Force X (A.K.A. the Suicide Squad). Despite being portrayed as a "jerk with a heart of gold" archetype for most of the film, Peacemaker's blind loyalty to Waller eventually leads him to betray his team members during the film's climax. The post-credits scene reveals that Peacemaker ultimately survives his confrontation with Bloodsport (Idris Elba), teasing the upcoming Peacemaker HBO Max series that will release next year.
Cena himself has been an outspoken fan of K-pop for quite some time now. During interviews, the professional-wrestler-turned-actor frequently cites the mega-group, BTS, as being one of his favorite musical artists. As is par for the course with K-pop discourse these days, Cena's name trends on social media whenever the BTS ARMY (the official name of the K-pop group's international fandom) catches wind of such stories. If tradition holds, Cena's name may soon be trending once again.
In a recent interview with the Television Critics Association for TCA21, Cena revealed that he frequently listened to BTS while filming for Gunn's The Suicide Squad. According to Cena, he "was just in a phase where [he] listened to BTS." Check out the original quote via Meghan O'Keefe on Twitter below:
K-pop music has become an international cultural juggernaut over the course of the past decade. Although the genre enjoyed success much earlier across Asia, references to K-pop and K-pop artists in mainstream Western media are a relatively recent phenomenon pioneered by mega-groups like BTS and Blackpink. Only last week, Hugh Jackman's name began trending on social media after the actor wished Felix (of the K-pop group, Stray Kids) a happy birthday on Instagram.
While Cena's fixation with BTS comes as no surprise, it is somewhat amusing to learn that the South Korean group's music may have graced the set of The Suicide Squad at one point. In the vein of James Gunn's previous films (namely, the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy duology), the film features an eclectic mix of rock and retro music personally curated by the director himself. Between Cena and Gunn, filming for The Suicide Squad's must have been quite the musical experience.
Source: Meghan O'Keefe
