John Cena says his agency tried to talk him out of his 'Barbie' cameo because it was 'beneath him'

• John Cena was advised against making his scene-stealing cameo in "Barbie."
• "The perspective from an agency standpoint was, 'This is beneath you,'" he told Howard Stern.

John Cena said his agency advised him not to take a role in the blockbuster movie "Barbie," as they thought it was "beneath him" and would impact his ability to book leading roles in future films.

Appearing on "The Howard Stern Show" this week, the wrestler-turned-actor spoke about his reps' reservations when he was approached to appear in the Academy-Award nominated film alongside its star-studded cast, which includes Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrara, and Simu Liu.

"They're just going on what they know," Cena said. "And what they know is, 'This entity, this commodity gravitates toward these things. We should stay in this lane.' But I'm not a commodity. I'm a human being, and I operate under the construct of every opportunity is an opportunity."

Cena said that at the time, he was shooting "Fast X" in the same studio as the Greta Gerwig-directed film and had been approached by Robbie, who also serves as a producer, to shoot a small cameo.

"I read the script of the movie, and I tried my hardest to be in it," Cena recalled. "Margot was like, 'We'll make you a mermaid. You'll be in it for half a day.' Yeah, sure."

However, those representing him at the acting agency he was with then weren't as enthused and asked Cena to think twice before accepting the role.

"The perspective from an agency standpoint was, 'This is beneath you,' which I get that," he said. "But also to the agency's credit, immediately, they acquiesced, and I was like, 'No, we're going to do it,' but all they can do is offer their guidance."

"They're not ultimately making the choice," Cena continued. "And their guidance is, 'Hey, truly trickledown economics from this may take you out of these lead lap slots.' And I get all that."

"I've always operated under the philosophy that good work gets you another chance," he concluded.

Cena's scenes in "Barbie" are short but memorable. The actor, currently promoting his upcoming comedy "Ricky Stanicky," appears as Mermaid Ken with long, flowing blonde hair alongside Dua Lipa's Mermaid Barbie in several cutaway gags.