The Suicide Squad Scene That Almost Made John Cena Throw Up

The Suicide Squad star John Cena is urging audiences to "remember the empanadas" after he came close to throwing up in-between throwing down during director James Gunn's 1970s-styled war movie. In his DCEU debut, Cena plays extreme pacifist Christopher Smith, a master of weapons who kills to keep the peace. The gun-toting super-soldier, described by Gunn's as "the world's biggest douchebag," eliminates empanadas during a rooftop-set meal scene — but after more than two-dozen empanadas, the repeat WWE champion says he stopped just shy of the old "heave-ho."

"There was a day where we shot on a rooftop, where we're all eating. I had to eat an empanada," Cena said during The Suicide Squad's presentation at Brazil's virtual CCXP convention. "I took it upon myself to try to eat the entire empanada in a seamless take, thinking that it's gonna look great, but it was also a complicated shot for James. 31 empanadas later, Jesus, we got it right."

When Gunn asked if the scene caused Cena to vomit, he said, "I think 32 would have been the heave-ho, but I was able to just relax and unbutton. But then people are going to see the movie and nobody's going to care, so please: remember the empanadas!"

Even if you can stomach the "blood-splattered" Suicide Squad, a term used by Gunn to describe his "insane" superhero movie that's akin to a gritty '70s war movie, Cena has a recommendation for audiences: "It's quite graphic ... The Suicide Squad is gonna make you sh-t your pants, so bring a change of pants," he said. "Because you're not ready."

Cena reunites with Gunn on Peacemaker, the spin-off series now in development for a streaming release on HBO Max, scheduled to begin production in early 2021.

"Peacemaker is an opportunity to delve into current world issues through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world's biggest douchebag. I'm excited to expand The Suicide Squad and bring this character from the DC film universe to the full breadth of a series," Gunn said in a statement announcing the spin-off. "And of course, to be able to work again with John, Peter, and my friends at Warner Bros. is the icing on the cake."

The eight-episode action-adventure-comedy series exploring Peacemaker's origins was scripted by Gunn, who also directs the spin-off's premiere episode.

Also starring Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, Jai Courtney, Joel Kinnaman, Michael Rooker, David Dastmalchian, Steve Agee, Daniel Melchoir, Flula Borg, Mayling Ng, Alice Braga, Sean Gunn, Peter Capaldi, and Taika Waititi, The Suicide Squad premieres on HBO Max and in theaters on August 6, 2021.