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00:00We always have a great time when our next guest stops by Studio 1A.
00:04Ah, yes. John Cena made, of course, quite the name for himself
00:08in the squared circle known as the wrestling ring before jumping to the big screen
00:12and then taking on the complicated superhero peacemaker.
00:16That's right. Well, now he is starring in Matchbook the movie,
00:20playing a CIA operator. Matchbox.
00:22You said Matchbook.
00:23I'm sorry, Matchbox. Yeah, Matchbook. Matchbook could be a whole other story.
00:27Completely different story. Wow, you like that? See where I'm going with that?
00:31Yeah, anyway, he's playing a CIA operative trying to get his friends to safety
00:36while keeping himself in one piece.
00:38Al and I can read each other.
00:39Agent Walker, are you there?
00:43Hey, Ace. I'm a little busy right now.
00:46Satellite lost your signal, and Eastbrook is not going to wait much longer.
00:50Please tell me you're close. Tell me you got this.
00:54I got this.
00:58All of the day's work, right?
00:59Perfect.
01:01So we all grew up, you know, playing with Matchbox cars, okay?
01:04And when we heard this movie...
01:06Yeah.
01:07Yeah, come on.
01:08And Matchbooks, too.
01:09And Matchbooks.
01:09No, that's another thing.
01:10Kids, don't do that at home.
01:12It was a different time.
01:12Don't do that at home.
01:13A little bit later on in life, hopefully.
01:15Okay, kids, be careful out there.
01:16Different story.
01:16Different movie.
01:17But, you know, when we heard you were going to be doing this movie,
01:20I thought, well, how is this going to work?
01:22And it looks like you guys found the formula.
01:24So I was similarly apprehensive when they dropped Matchbox the movie in front of me.
01:29I have memories and nostalgia and an idea of what that means to me in my heart and mind.
01:35I'm like, how are they going to take what's in here and put it on the page?
01:38They did exactly what they should.
01:39The Matchbox cars are used as a conduit for nostalgia.
01:43So even though we've all played with them and we all have different memories in a space in here,
01:47because it's a unit for nostalgia that allows this gang to go on this crazy, whimsical adventure,
01:53I really am so happy that Mattel was such a great partner.
01:57You know, Skydance and Apple put together a great script.
02:00But it's not a hard sell.
02:02It makes Matchbox what Matchbox is to most of us.
02:05Nostalgia.
02:05Looking back at a similar time.
02:07Yeah, yeah.
02:08It was in our imagination.
02:09You're a real trooper in this film because I heard you have a fear of heights.
02:12I do.
02:13And I have not conquered that fear of heights.
02:14So you just plow through it?
02:16A couple extra sets of pants.
02:22So fear is the inability to trust, right?
02:25I'm afraid of heights because I'm afraid of falling.
02:27I've fallen down a lot in my life.
02:29And then the director of this movie started out as a stunt performer, a coordinator, a second unit director,
02:33and now an established director in Sam Hargrave.
02:35And he's like, man, I work with the best in the industry.
02:38Trust me, you're going to be safe.
02:39Doesn't mean I wasn't scared.
02:41Doesn't mean I'm still scared.
02:41But I trusted the folks around me and took a leap literally off a building, off a bridge, hanging from
02:47a helicopter.
02:48Yes, being under a big rig as it's going 45 miles an hour on a highway in Slovakia.
02:53All that stuff is practical.
02:54We saw a Land Rover scene early on when I'm driving in the Sahara.
02:57I'm driving a six-wheel Land Rover in the Sahara Desert.
03:00That's got to be kind of cool.
03:00Yeah, we went to Morocco and shot in Casablanca, and then we shot in the desert.
03:04So I got to beat up some trucks out in the desert.
03:06Sounds like there were some real budgetary constraints with this film.
03:08There were not.
03:10I was just telling you, I came to know you like most folks as a wrestler.
03:14I mean, you were just, you were one of the biggest names in wrestling for such a long time.
03:18And then you start doing movies and TV shows.
03:20And now most folks probably know you as an actor.
03:2320 years ago.
03:24It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since you walked to that set for the Marine.
03:28Yeah, so it's been a long journey.
03:30And I think that's the important one.
03:31People think things happen overnight.
03:33Those early projects, truth be told, I didn't have my heart into.
03:36And that's why.
03:37What do you mean?
03:37Well, I wanted to be there.
03:39I wanted to be in that ring.
03:40As a young 20-something, traveling the world, being out in front of tens of thousands of
03:45people every night, going nuts, and then doing it night after night.
03:48That's where I wanted to be.
03:49And that's where I felt comfortable and fluent.
03:51And then I get on this movie set where things are super patient, super slow.
03:55I just didn't have the wisdom for the process.
03:57Now I enjoy the creative process.
03:59I understand that every job is important, that everyone is an artist, and everyone needs
04:03to do their thing.
04:04And that's from the caterers, to the grips, to the AD, to the lighting folks, to the performers.
04:09You name it.
04:10Every job makes the thing happen.
04:13Yeah.
04:13So I ran out of the movie business for not caring.
04:16And that's justifiably so.
04:18If you don't care about something, give somebody the opportunity that does.
04:21I'm now super passionate about what I do.
04:23And that's everything from filming, to sitting here talking about this movie with you guys.
04:27And I'm so lucky to be given a second chance.
04:29And that took 20 years to craft.
04:31Yeah.
04:31So I'm...
04:32You're also quite self-aware, too, which helps.
04:35Man, I think there's nothing wrong with taking inventory of yourself, looking in the mirror,
04:39loving yourself for your strengths and your flaws, and trying to work to be better than
04:42you were yesterday.
04:43Amen.
04:43I love that.
04:44And you haven't, you know, stepped away from the WWE.
04:47No, not at all, man.
04:48You are still very much a part of it.
04:49I'm not going to perform again physically.
04:51So there's no chance you're stepping back on that brand.
04:53There's no chance that I'll perform again physically.
04:55And the WWE and I had a conversation about that.
04:58And we thought at 49, it was the right time to step away.
05:00Yep.
05:0123 years of physical service in the business.
05:03And now this year in December, I'm really excited about announcing the John Cena Classic.
05:07So we're going to do an event based off of all the memory, all the nostalgia and the
05:11IP and the core values of the character, which is me, hustle, royalty, respect, perseverance,
05:17virtue, you know, overcoming the odds and giving the vote to the people.
05:24Our audience is going to decide our champion on that night.
05:26So it's a really unique live event.
05:27That's cool.
05:28I don't even know if it's going to work.
05:29It's going to work.
05:30I'm still taking bold chances in the WWE space.
05:32And I'm proud to be helping the John Cena Classic.
05:35That's a great concept.
05:36By the way, congratulations on Coyote versus Acme.
05:39That's such a great match.
05:40Get that matchbook out because we're lighting the whole thing up.
05:43That's it.
05:44Coyote uses matchbooks all the time.
05:46Matchbox.
05:47I mean, we're going for it.
05:48We are going for it.
05:49Oh, John, thanks so much for being here.
05:51Always a pleasure.
05:52We appreciate it.
05:52And be sure you can stream Matchbox, the movie, boop, on Apple TV starting October 9th.
06:00Hey, thanks for watching.
06:01And don't forget, you can catch the Today Show every morning on NBC or take today when
06:07you're on the go.
06:07Just follow the Today Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
06:13...
06:13Dziękuje za uwagę.