John Cena said advice from The Rock convinced him to act like himself in movies: a 'goofball', 'naked'

• John Cena shared heartwarming advice The Rock once gave him about making it in Hollywood.
• Cena, 45, was speaking during a Q&A at Comic-Con in the UK.

John Cena said during a Q&A at Comic-Con in Wales that advice from The Rock convinced him to act himself — a "goofball, naked" — when he was starting out in Hollywood.

The two movie stars are hulking action figures who got their starts in WWE.

The Rock went from WWE icon to global superstar when he transitioned from the ring to the silver screen, starring in blockbuster movies like "Furious 7", "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle", and "Moana".

Cena followed The Rock into Hollywood and starred in smash-hit films such as "Trainwreck", "Bumblebee", and "The Suicide Squad".

The Comic-Con host at the UK event this week asked Cena if The Rock ever gave him advice about breaking into the movie business after a life in the WWE.

"I was able to ask him, 'Hey man, do you have any advice'?"

The Rock's reply may have calmed whatever nerves Cena had

Cena had starred in "The Marine" and a handful of other movies prior to his role in "Trainwreck", but The Rock's reply appeared to give him the confidence to throw himself into the Amy Schumer comedy without nerves.

"He said, 'They asked you there for a reason dude; just be yourself.'

"He, in that one sentence, allowed me to calm down," Cena said. "Allowed me to be myself, which, I'm really a goofball."

"Trainwreck" allowed him to be that goofball "on screen," he said. "Naked."

Cena finished: "He's the reason I'm here."

'I'm not done in the ring'

In the years before "Trainwreck" in 2015, Cena had been in only seven films. But from 2016 onwards, he appeared in 12 films and is scheduled to star in another five movies that are yet to be released.

Though he has a busy schedule, he has not ruled out a return to WWE. "I'm not done in the ring," he said at the Comic-Con event. "But I am realistic with where I'm at in my life."

Cena said he's 45 years old, and speaking as a 16-time world champion in the sport, he's aware of how "very tough" it is "to win."

He described "the top of that mountain" as a "young man's game," adding: "So, I'm not done — but I'm not certain that that's in the cards. We'll see. Story's yet to be told, 'cause if I'm in the ring I got a chance," to win matches and win another championship.

Cena shares the all-time record for world title reigns with WWE icon Ric Flair.