With his final match fast approaching, WWE star and actor John Cena was recently spotted in a surprising cameo in Apple TV+'s new show Pluribus. Despite his extremely busy schedule, Cena made time for acclaimed director Vince Gilligan's latest directorial effort.
Speaking to Deadline, Gilligan opened up about his choice to cast Cena in the surprising cameo role in Pluribus, led by Emmy nominee Rhea Seehorn. Gilligan previously created Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, a spin-off. Opening up about his hectic schedule and personality, Gilligan noted that “The Leader of Cenation” was the only right choice to play the role.
“We just thought, ‘Who better than John Cena to make palatable the idea of eating human flesh, you know?’” Gilligan claimed. “Boy, that guy has a schedule. That guy is a busy guy, and he was nice enough to shoot this thing.”
He further elaborated, “He was just the coolest guy. And it was one of those things: Who would [be] someone who would delight the audience when he or she popped up to explain why humanity now lives off of protein from human bodies? It’s such a non sequitur, and yet, in a way, it’s not because he just has this personality and [with] everything that he does you find him likable and you find him trustworthy; you think, ‘Man, I’d like to have a beer with that guy.’ So why shouldn’t he explain why human-derived protein is the way to go for humanity now? He actually made it sound pretty reasonable, and that was the intention, and it just made us laugh when we thought of having him do it. And luckily, he said yes.”
More on John Cena's surprise cameo in Pluribus
The latest episode of Pluribus, which was released last week, included a surprising cameo appearance from Cena. The 48-year-old delivered a three-minute speech highlighting a crucial plot point in the sci-fi series.
In the preceding episode, the protagonist discovered that an alien hive mind has taken over Earth, which sustains itself by consuming human remains. On behalf of the hive mind, Cena gave a three-minute speech. He explained that this was the most efficient means of self-preservation without causing damage.
Actively acting in films and television series, John Cena is now also scheduled to be in his final match on Dec. 13, 2025.
