‘Bumblebee’: John Cena’s Imagination Helped Him Through Production

John Cena, the man known for not being seen, was forced to use his imagination on Bumblebee to create scenes with co-stars he couldn’t see.

Cena, who previously starred in Trainwreck and The Marine, continues his transition from professional wrestling and into acting with the next installment to the Transformers franchise later this month. The film is earning abundant praise from critics who screened the film, thanks in part to Cena’s enthusiastic use of his imagination.

“I experienced the chance to use my imagination and I think that was really, really special. We’re in a performing business and everybody’s method is different,” Cena told Fox’s Kevin McCarthy in the video above. “There is no wrong way of doing it. I like to be imaginative. I seem pretty cut and dry but I’m pretty whimsical. To be able to act to something that you don’t have to — and I tell this a lot, like we’re having a conversation, you react, that’s all I have to go on. That’s it. So, then, your reactions furthers mine which furthers the conversations. When it’s a tennis ball and a stick, yes, you don’t get anything, but if you use you imagination you get everything and you get everything you wanna use. It encourages you a little bit more to take a little bit more risks. You can find a different dynamic that maybe you wouldn’t find in a conversation with another person. I don’t view it as a negative thing. I view it as a positive thing.”

With a long-running history in WWE, Cena is no stranger to cutting promos on a dime. When asked what a promo for Megatron versus Optimus Prime in a wrestling match might sound like, the wrestler-turned-actor was ready to go.

“Come see the 100% unbelievable thing that you don’t think you would ever see in your entire life,” Cena said. “Pay for the entire seat but use only the edge! You will see a plane and a truck collide and just when you think that’s enough they’ll transform into fighting robots and collide some more using weapons and explosions and massive amounts of artificial intelligence. You don’t want to miss this. You better be locked up if you miss it.”

As BumbleBee takes place in 1987, Cena and others feel touches of nostalgia from the set decorations in Hailee Steinfeld’s Charlie Watson character’s bedroom. However, unlike Charlie, Cena would not have posters for bands on his bedroom as a teenager in the 80’s.

“You wouldn’t see a band poster at all,” Cena said. “You’d probably just see a bunch of cut outs from Hot Rod magazine. Old souped up cars. Just the really souped up, old American, 70’s stuff. Nothing like, I didn’t have the iconic Countach or the Ferrari 308 like the Magnum PI Ferrari. It was more like the muscle car stuff, really souped up.”

As Cena’s career has blossomed, he has been fortunate enough to ride in and buy some of the cars he grew up admiring. “I was grateful enough to experience many of the cars that were on my wall.”

The perfect summary, as a result, is that there is one song which Cena would currently relate to his life: “Louie Armstrong: ‘Wonderful World.’”

Bumblebee hits theaters on December 21, 2018.