Just one week before Greta Gerwig‘s “Barbie” hits theaters, which is sure to be the summer’s biggest movie. And the film boasts a sizable ensemble cast beyond Margot Robbie‘s Barbie and Ryan Gosling‘s Ken. For instance, there are multiple Kens and Barbies in Gerwig’s latest, including Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Emma Mackey, pop icon Dua Lipa, and more as Barbies, and Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, and Scott Evans as Kens. And then there’s ex-pro wrestler-turned-actor John Cena, who also plays a Ken in “Barbie”: Merman Ken, or Kenmaid, to be exact.
Does Cena’s name feel a little out of place alongside the likes of “Sex Education” stars, Hollywood up-and-comers and A-listers, and the new queen of pop Dua Lipa. It sure does; and more alarming still, Dua Lipa plays Mermaid Barbie, Kenmaid’s companion. But according to Robbie (via a new Buzz interview), Cena’s cameo in the film happened entirely by chance. Long story short, Robbie ran into Cena while out to dinner in London, and when she discovered they were both filming at the same studio, she asked if Cena wanted to be in “Barbie.” Cena agreed.
“The John Cena cameo is pretty impactful,” Robbie told the interviewer when asked about the various cameos in the upcoming film. “I love that. And that was by chance. We shot here in London, and we were out at dinner, and I ran into him at a restaurant. Because we’ve worked together before, and I was like ‘what are you doing here?’ And he was like, “We’re shooting at Leavesden at the moment.” And I was like, “We’re shooting at Leavesden. Do you want to come be in “Barbie?'” And he was like, “Yeah!. Because he’s just that kind of guy — like, ‘Sure!'”
Cena was filming “Fast X” at the time, for those who didn’t put that together. But now he’s Kenmaid, and with any luck, will bring the “ken-ergy” Ryan Gosling has been going on about now for a year. Mermaid Barbie and Kenmaid are part of the Barbie World Robbie’ Barbie and Gosling’s Ken get expelled from in Gerwig’s film, with the pair embarking on a journey of self-discovery in the real world. “Barbie” squares off again Christopher Nolan‘s “Oppenheimer” in theaters next Friday, July 21. And don’t be afraid about doing the “Barbenheimer” double feature that’s gone viral the past couple of weeks. Or instead, be a normal person and see each movie on different days next weekend instead of spending 5+ hours in a movie theater.
