Summary
- John Cena is stepping into unfamiliar territory with his upcoming Netflix comedy Little Brother, and he is genuinely thrilled that someone finally took a chance on him in a different kind of role.
- Speaking to PEOPLE magazine about his role, Cena said he was struck by André’s willingness to cast him outside his usual comfort zone.
- This is a comedy, it’s a physical comedy, but Eric’s doing a lot of the heavy comedic lifting and I get to kind of be the more serious role that is more vulnerable, is more dramatic,” he said.
John Cena is stepping into unfamiliar territory with his upcoming Netflix comedy Little Brother, and he is genuinely thrilled that someone finally took a chance on him in a different kind of role.
The 49 year old actor and retired professional wrestler plays Rudd, a real estate agent whose life is thrown into chaos when his eccentric younger brother Marcus unexpectedly reappears. The film also stars Eric André as Marcus, alongside Christopher Meloni, Michelle Monaghan, Sherry Cola, Ego Nwodim, Bryce Gheisar, Caleb Hearon, Pilot Bunch and Ben Ahlers.
Speaking to PEOPLE magazine about his role, Cena said he was struck by André’s willingness to cast him outside his usual comfort zone. “The fact that Eric would wanna take a bet on me in a different capacity. This is a comedy, it’s a physical comedy, but Eric’s doing a lot of the heavy comedic lifting and I get to kind of be the more serious role that is more vulnerable, is more dramatic,” he said.
He went on to admit that this kind of opportunity does not come his way often. “People don’t make those bets on me and I’m very happy that he was like, I think you’d be good for this part,” he said.
Cena’s connection with André dates back to 2020, when he first appeared on the Adult Swim late night talk show parody series The Eric André Show. He recalled how the project came to him, saying André passed him the Little Brother script and asked him to read it and share his thoughts.
After reading it, Cena said he immediately recognised its potential. “This is a vehicle for him to show the world exactly how talented he is and he needed somebody to literally bounce around off of. I read it. I knew it was gonna be great for him and after that it was just a matter of getting the right team,” he said.
Little Brother is scheduled to be released on Netflix on June 26, 2026.
