Profile: Mixing it up with John Cena

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John Cena's first film, "The Marine," was a throwback to 1980s action movies, with diabolical bad guys, minimal dialogue and two scenes where the World Wrestling Entertainment star dives headfirst out of thermonuclear-looking fireballs.
Cena is back with "12 Rounds," directed by action-movie demigod Renny Harlin, who filmed more than his share of action stars jumping out of explosions in movies such as "Die Hard 2," "Cliffhanger" and "Deep Blue Sea."
We spoke with Cena when he passed through San Francisco a few weeks ago, interviewing him near AT&T Park.
Q: Do you remember your first action movie as an audience member?
A: The first action movie I saw was "Commando."
Q: That's a good one.
A: If you look back and watch it again -- and I watch it often -- it's not a good movie. There are so many flaws in that movie. But it is a good movie, because here you have a dude who you realize very early on is the baddest man on the planet. He gets put in a situation where he has to be that again, and then all hell breaks loose. It is what it is, and it works.
Q: The problem with that movie is the bad guy in "Commando" was so much smaller than Arnold Schwarzenegger.
A: Yes. Definitely. And that was Arnold's main problem, trying to get a worthy adversary. They figured it out with "Predator," which I think is the best action movie ever made. You had a team of the baddest, most-jacked-up dudes on the planet, you drop them in the middle of a jungle, and the only thing that could stop them is a crazy mutant from outer space.
Q: Given your background as a wrestler, how important is it for you to do your own stunts?
A: Less and less important, man. I certainly love making movies and being the guy; there's a lot to that. But doing your own stunts beats you up. This is the second time around that I've done it. And I now know why stuntmen get paid so well. ... What I do for a living certainly is very physical, but I'm not doing it for 12 hours at a time, 14 hours at a time. Those guys go through hell.
Q: Give me your review of "The Wrestler" in 100 words or less.
A: It was a great movie. I believed every moan and groan that came out of Mickey Rourke's mouth. I thought he did a great job of telling the life story of a guy who had a skewed set of values. I thought the movie did a great job of showing the flaws in his character and showing where he messes up and why he messes up and why he keeps messing up. I thought the story of personal struggle was fantastic. ... I've been at that level. Everybody starts at that level. A lot of people end at that level. I do wish they had touched on what's in between.
Q: What's the smallest crowd you ever wrestled in front of?
A: Five people. In a boxing gym in Orange County, with 10-foot ceilings. That was 1999.
Q: You're one of the few action-movie actors I've seen who is big in real life.
A: Working out and being physically fit is the only thing that keeps my sanity. I know there's a Gold's Gym right down the street. I know where every gym in America is. No B.S. I've been on the road with WWE since 2002, and I can tell you both domestically and overseas where the good places are.
Q: That's like a superpower. OK, now we're going to test you. Tampa Bay?
A: Tampa Bay is where I live. There's a Lifestyle Fitness all over the place.
Q: Indianapolis?
A: Indianapolis? There's a Gold's Gym right downtown, right near Conseco Fieldhouse. And they also built a new one on the outskirts of town, but you have to travel like 12 miles to get there.
Q: Kansas City, Missouri?
A: That's Gold's Gym territory as well. It's right outside the city limits.
Q: Amsterdam?
A: The European gyms have different names. I like training there even better, because they're all focused on Olympic lifts, with the Olympic-style bumper plates, which is the kind of training I do. And everything is in (kilograms), instead of pounds, so the guys don't know how much they're lifting. But I've trained with (kilograms), so I know exactly how much 90 (kilograms) is. I've seen out guys get crushed, because they think it's pounds, and it's not. It's fun to go overseas.

(E-mail Peter Hartlaub at phartlaub(at)sfchronicle.com.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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