Frank Grillo Confesses He Wasn’t Familiar with John Cena Before ‘Peacemaker’
Frank Grillo has joined the second season of Peacemaker, but he admitted he wasn’t familiar with John Cena or even the show before getting involved.
Speaking with GQ, the actor shared how James Gunn first approached him about stepping into the DC Universe.
Grillo explained that Gunn had plans for him early on, but at first he wasn’t sure how things would turn out. “He did, but he’s taking over this obscure studio, and it’s part of Warner Bros., and who the f**k knows? I don’t know where it’s going, how serious they are, and how much power and money Warner Bros is giving them. I know he’s a man of his word, but I didn’t know how quickly it would all come together,” Grillo said.
He recalled that after working with Gunn on Creature Commandos, the director asked him to join Peacemaker. At the time, he was busy filming Tulsa King but managed to work out the schedule.
Still, he confessed he knew nothing about the show or its star. “I had never seen Peacemaker. I didn’t know who the f**k John Cena was. I asked my son, ‘Is John Cena a big wrestler?’ He goes, ‘You’re stupid.’”
Once he finally saw Cena in action, Grillo said he was impressed. “He’s one of those bulls that you see out in the meadow where it’s just muscle, on top of muscle, on top of muscle. When he’s standing still, I look at him sometimes and I’m like, wow, that guy’s a f**king specimen. Like, if aliens came down and Cena was the guy they saw, they’d go back to space and say, ‘Forget it, we’re gonna lose.’”
He added that while Cena is intimidating, it’s part of the fun. “To me, that’s a great challenge; I love the David and Goliath of it all. I’m more afraid of the Danny Trejos of the world than I am of the John Cenas. Then I watched Cena doing his thing in the WWE and these guys are defying gravity, at 280 pounds. And so he’s a scary man.”
As promised, here's the full teaser trailer for Peacemaker Season 2. The 11th Street Kids are back for a double dose of peace this August. @streamonmax @johncena @jennlholland @thedanieb @itsnhutle @robertpatrickT2 pic.twitter.com/i0C0qO7cIo
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 9, 2025
Grillo also talked about being caught off guard when he learned he would have to take part in the show’s opening dance sequence. “I didn’t think I’d be asked to dance. Like, I don’t dance. I’m a serious actor. And James said, ‘What do you mean? You’re on the show, don’t be stupid, you’re dancing.’”
While he felt confident at first, the group performance was a bigger challenge. “I think I’m holding my own, and I don’t know why James says I’m the worst dancer. I don’t think I am—I think Tim Meadows is.”
The second season of Peacemaker premiered on HBO Max on August 21, 2025. The new season continues Chris Smith’s story in the rebooted DC Universe and stars John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Robert Patrick, Frank Grillo, Sol Rodríguez, David Denman, Tim Meadows, and Michael Rooker.
James Gunn returned as showrunner, writing and directing all eight episodes.
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