John Cena Says He's Surprisingly 'More Vulnerable, More Dramatic' in New Eric André Comedy (Exclusive)

Tommy McArdle, Meredith WilshereFri, June 19, 2026 at 8:52 PM UTC

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John Cena and Eric André on June 18, 2026Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty for Netflix) -

John Cena tells PEOPLE about his efforts to show off a straight man persona in the new Netflix comedy Little Brother at the film's premiere on Thursday, June 18

Cena costars with Eric André, Michelle Monaghan, Ego Nwodim, Christopher Meloni, Sherry Cola and more in the new movie

Little Brother begins streaming on Netflix June 26

John Cena is happy Eric André wanted to work with him on their new comedy because it casts the former WWE star in a different light.

Cena, 49, tells PEOPLE he was glad to take on a straight man role in his new comedy Little Brother, in which he portrays a successful man named Rudd whose life is upended when a man (André, 43) who was his "little brother" at a Big Brother-Little Brother youth program years prior returns to his life.

"The fact that Eric would wanna take a bet on me in a different capacity," Cena says on the red carpet, asked what most excited him about taking on the movie. "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."

"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 adds.

John Cena and Eric André in 'Little Brother'Credit: Clifton Prescod/Netflix

Cena first connected with André when he appeared on André's Adult Swim late night talk show parody series The Eric André show in 2020. Cena tells PEOPLE he was a fan of the series and that the comedian "passed [Little Brother's script" on to me, said, 'Give it a read, tell me what you think.' "

"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," he adds. "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."

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Shay Shariatzadeh and John Cena at the premiere of 'Little Brother' on June 18, 2026Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty

In recent years, Cena has grown into an in-demand actor known best for his work in comedy, as well as his superhero role in the HBO Max series Peacemaker.

"It's the same thing as what's it like stepping into a WWE ring when no one believed that I could make it or what's it like getting a chance to be around funny people when I'd been wrestling for 15 years and it was my first chance at true comedy," Cena tells PEOPLE of taking on a straight man role. "This should be the challenge of the profession, to establish yourself certainly and to work to keep the lights on, but constantly want to grow and sometimes that's a leap and sometimes maybe that's just an inch. And knowing that you're going to take a risk. With risk there certainly can be reward, but there might be setback along the way and still having the courage to try to take the risk."

Little Brother begins streaming on Netflix June 26.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”