PHILADELPHIA — The action-hero deficit has grown so pronounced in Hollywood over the last few years that the unlikeliest actors are being pressed into combat, including, most recently, 56-year-old Liam Neeson in “Taken.” Enough of this charade. The silver screen is crying out for a real macho man.
Calling John Cena. Calling John Cena. Please report to the film set.
The larger-than-life — and larger than nearly everything else — pro wrestler stars in “12 Rounds,” which opened Friday. He plays a New Orleans cop who, in order to save his girlfriend, must complete a series of impossible challenges set for him by a psychopath.
It’s actually Cena’s second film, but 2006’s “The Marine” barely counts because it was a baptism of fire, ignited by Vince McMahon, chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment.
“‘The Marine’ was a script that was written for (wrestler Stone Cold) Steve Austin. But he just wasn’t on good terms with the WWE at the time,” says Cena, 31. “It was already in preproduction. They were set up and ready to shoot. They needed a guy and my boss (McMahon) said, ‘Hey, you’re going to do this movie for me.’ That was my introduction to the world of acting.” The three-time WWE champ is aware of his limitations as a thespian.
“Right now, anything outside something I can draw real-life inspiration from would be a real stretch for me,” he says. “I wouldn’t be able to do a Western or a period piece. I don’t have that ability. I really have to work on the fundamentals of acting.”
Renny Harlin, the Finnish- born director of “12 Rounds,” did everything in his power to make his inexperienced leading man comfortable.
“I told John and the rest of the cast that I’m shooting this film in a guerrilla way,” says Harlin on the phone. “I’m going to have three cameras running the whole time, covering the scenes from all angles. I even shot the rehearsals like that.”
Shooting on location in New Orleans, Cena also maintained his demanding schedule as one of the stars of “Monday Night Raw” on USA.
Lots of travel
“I would work all day Monday until about 4,” says Cena, “take a charter to where ‘Raw’ was. Get there just as we were going on air at 8 or 9 o’clock. Change into my gear, do my deal, and charter back to New Orleans about 11 o’clock.” Because “The Marine” was shot in Australia, Cena was forced off the wrestling circuit for a few months. With typical over-the-top showmanship, the WWE announced he had been stabbed in the kidney at a Boston nightclub by the bodyguard of ring villain Carlito Caribbean Cool.
A fabrication? “Absolutely,” says Cena. “That was completely entertainment.” The raised scar on his neck is real, however, a remnant of recent ring-related neck surgery.
A college football star, Cena pursued bodybuilding before joining the WWE circuit in 2002.
Even with Cena’s block-of- granite build and athletic reputation, there are still guys who step up to challenge him in public. Usually guys who have had too many cocktails.
“I certainly have run the gamut of meeting people who want to fight,” he says. “Maybe you’re out locally in a bar. They’re serious and you’re not. Usually a good talking to is enough. If somebody doesn’t cool down after that, you just leave.”
As Cena moves into film work, one of the challenges is finding someone big enough to serve as his body double.
Fortunately, he does most of his own stunts. That came back to bite him in “12 Rounds.”
“He’s petrified of heights,” says co-star Ashley Scott, the film’s damsel in distress. “And we were jumping out of helicopters and climbing out of tall buildings. He did his best, but you could kind of tell he was deathly afraid.”
“I was hanging from a 10- story building with only a harness,” says Cena of one scene, his muscle-bound jaw knotting. “They shot it with the camera pointing down so you can see there’s no net. Seriously, I still get shaky thinking about it.”
