Why was John Cena missing from the Barbie premiere? Reason for absence explained

Many well-known names across different industries flocked to the Barbie premiere, but John Cena was not among them. Although the 16-time champ is part of the cast, he did not join the likes of Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and more on the red carpet. However, this is because he may have been occupied with another project.

John Cena has multiple Hollywood projects he's working on, which is why there may have been a schedule conflict. It's possible that his absence from the Barbie premiere was because he is currently filming Head of State in London alongside Idris Elba and Priyanka Chopra. Since the project only started its filming in May 2023, the WWE star may be too busy to fly back and forth for the carpet.

Barbie is set for a theatrical release on July 21, 2023. For those wondering, John Cena plays the character of Merman Ken, the partner of Dua Lipa's Mermaid Barbie.

How did John Cena land a role in Barbie?

Cena in his other upcoming projects: Grand Theft Lotto and Hidden Strike

The 16-time World Champion has been taking on various roles in Hollywood recently. His versatility in the characters he plays may be the key to why he landed a role in the Greta Gerwig film.

While on the Today show, John Cena revealed Fast X was filming across Barbie when he had a run-in with Margot Robbie. He then called it a 'happy accident' and expressed his willingness to do any role in the movie.

“It was a happy accident and I think that Barbie and Fast X share a lot of parallels. The cast list is amazing, the Barbie cast list is amazing, the Fast X cast list is amazing. So, with a lot of opportunity, it was a chance for maybe to [say], ‘Hey, would you guys be willing to have me if I could do something?' (...) I would do, pretty much, whatever you guys need ’cause I really enjoy the movie and they asked me if I wanted to be a merman." [H/T Deadline]

Which WWE stars attended the Barbie premiere instead of John Cena?

A couple of WWE stars appeared for the Barbie premiere despite The Cenation Leader being absent from the event.

One of them was Liv Morgan, and she even posted a photo later of meeting with Margot herself. Other stars who attended the event are real-life couple Scarlett and Karrion Kross.

The last time Cena made his WWE appearance was in London for the Money in the Bank event earlier this month. It remains to be seen when and where the 46-year-old will appear next.