Barbie: John Cena's Cameo Happened After Paying For Margot Robbie's Meal

Greta Gerwig's record-smashing "Barbie" is filled with Barbies and Kens of every stripe, from stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling to their alternate counterparts played by the likes of Simu Liu and Issa Rae. "Barbie" really flexes its casting chops in its cameo appearances, which feature Emerald Fennell, Rob Brydon, and soundtrack contributor Dua Lipa as various dolls in Mattel's toy empire, to speak nothing of the cameos that didn't make the cut. Perhaps the best cameo, however, is John Cena as a Ken merman. According to Margot Robbie, Cena's involvement came about because he ran in to her in England and bought her a meal.

"It happened while we were shooting in London," Robbie recalled to Chris Van Vliet. "I ran into him at a restaurant...I went to pay the bill and they were like, 'John Cena already took care of it.' I was like, 'What?! Where is he?' I mean, he's a big guy...he's hard to hide." As it turns out, the former "The Suicide Squad" castmates were both in England shooting films at Warner Bros' Leavesden studio complex – she "Barbie," he "Fast X." Upon learning that they were working across the street from one another, Robbie notes, "[I asked,] 'Do you want to come be a merman in Barbie?' He was like, 'Yeah!'"

As merman Ken, John Cena got to rock some luscious locks and soak in the seas of Barbieland with Dua Lipa's mermaid Barbie. For the wrestler-turned-actor, he took the role as seriously as any other part. "I think a lot of times people think, 'Oh, he wouldn't do that,'" Cena told Entertainment Weekly. "I don't think there are any small parts. A chance is a chance. An opportunity to show your skill or develop a new skill, that's fantastic."

Robbie and Cena had previously appeared together in 2021's "The Suicide Squad," but Robbie has been a fan of her fellow actor since she was a kid. "I watched WWE when I was growing up," the actress said in an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." "As a late teen, early twenties, I had a boyfriend who was obsessed with John Cena." So obsessed that he kept a cardboard cutout of the wrestler in his room. "So I slept in a room for two years with a life-sized cardboard cutout of John Cena."

Ahead of the release of "Barbie," Warner Bros teased Cena's turn as a merman in a behind-the-scenes video, in which the actor shrewdly predicted audiences' reception to "Barbie." "I think it's going to be a movie that evokes conversation," he said. And I think it's going to be beautifully visually appealing. I think the audience will walk away with a mixed bag of opinions, which I think is the greatest form of entertainment."