10 Movie Performances Way Better Than They Had Any Right To Be
2. John Cena - Trainwreck
Why It Shouldn't Have Worked
When he was cast in Trainwreck as Amy Schumer's boyfriend, John Cena basically only had WWE Studios roles under his belt, which were as effective for testing acting chops as cooking microwave burgers is for proving your skills as a chef.
On top of that precedent, he's a professional wrestler and the track record of grapplers in movies isn't exactly shining - Mr Nanny aside. And comedy acting in particular takes more than drama - it takes timing and charisma and vulnerability. And Cena doesn't really look like the most subtle of character actors.
But Then...
It turns out that Cena's theatricality in the ring and his charisma in delivering promos translated perfectly to comedy as his brief supporting role in Trainwreck garnered lots of acclaim. He proved he was willing to poke fun at himself, that he had the necessary timing and that he could bring surprising depth to his character, no matter how silly the premise.
And nobody has owned Mark Wahlberg quite so well.