The Suicide Squad director James Gunn shares a behind-the-scenes video of Peacemaker actor John Cena eating 36 empanadas. Gunn’s follow-up to David Ayer’s Suicide Squad (2016) introduces a handful of interesting (and lesser-known) characters to the DC Extended Universe. In addition to featuring Rick Flag and Harley Quinn, Amanda Waller’s latest iteration of Task Force X includes DC’s "douchey" and/or misguided Captain America, John Cena’s Peacemaker.
With roles in F9, The Suicide Squad, and HBO Max’s upcoming Peacemaker spinoff, Cena has been busier than ever. While promoting his The Suicide Squad character, Cena has worn his costume pretty much everywhere. However, during WarnerMedia’s CCXP panel last year, Cena recalled filming a difficult scene where he was required to eat an empanada—a story that has now outshined his love for helmets described as “beacons of freedom.” Instead of simply nibbling on an empanada, Cena ultimately downed over 30 empanadas. This behind-the-scenes tidbit lends to the blink-and-you-miss-it moment halfway through the film when Rick Flag asks, “who ate all the f-cking empanadas?”
Leading up to and following The Suicide Squad’s debut, Gunn has shared a slew of behind-the-scenes content on social media. One of his most recent Instagram posts is a video of Cena eating his 36th empanada for the aforementioned scene. He, Gunn, and Joel Kinnaman then discuss how it will inevitably result in disaster. Check it out below:
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Other content shared by the writer/director included information on how the climactic and emotional fight scene between Rick Flag and Peacemaker was filmed. Cena’s multi-faceted performance proved a standout in The Suicide Squad and has certainly warranted Gunn’s Peacemaker spinoff, which recently wrapped production and is set to release in January 2022. Despite the character’s supposed demise after being shot by Bloodsport, the film’s post-credits scene revealed him to be alive, setting the spinoff to be both a sequel and a prequel exploring Peacemaker’s twisted patriotism and, of course, love for baked turnovers. Gunn previously teased that Cena would be required to eat even more empanadas in the series.
One wouldn’t think much of The Suicide Squad’s “empanada scene” without Cena and Gunn’s sharing the story behind it. Actors often talk about the amount of food they’ve had to consume filming take after take, but it’s not something casual moviegoers consider. Gunn could’ve cut Rick Flag’s throwaway line and no one would’ve been the wiser. Thankfully, he didn’t. Now, knowledge of Cena’s struggle adds another comedic element to the film, making it all the more memorable for those who made it. That being said, Kinnaman most likely opted out of documenting the back end of Cena’s struggle.
Source: James Gunn
