John Cena wowed 'Little Brother' costars with musical talent, Mandarin skills

NEW YORK – John Cena knows a thing or two about little brothers.

The wrestler-turned-actor grew up in small-town West Newbury, Massachusetts, the second oldest of five boys. As a teen, he was both “courageously ignorant and curious.”

“We were a bit of a rowdy bunch,” Cena recalls on a recent morning. Sure, he broke his first car off-roading at age 14. Otherwise, “I don’t think I got away with much. My parents could only discipline so many at a time, but I think they knew everything.”

In “Little Brother” (streaming on Netflix June 26), the 17-time WWE world champ taps into some of that adolescent mischief as the tightly wound Rudd, an accomplished yet deeply insecure real estate agent who is continually one-upped by his billionaire older brother, Josh (Christopher Meloni).

One day, Rudd’s life is thrown into chaos when he gets a call that his “sibling” is in the hospital – only to realize it’s the long-forgotten Marcus (Eric André), for whom he volunteered in a Big Brother-Little Brother program decades earlier.

Marcus is eager to reconnect with his childhood pal, and Rudd’s wife, Deirdre (Michelle Monaghan), excitedly takes in the oafish man-child as he recovers from his injuries. Rudd bristles initially, but soon he learns to loosen up and find confidence as his own man.

“It’s completely outrageous,” says Monaghan, who partakes in some of the film’s wildest gross-out gags right alongside the guys. “It’s so fun and funny, and then five minutes later, you’re having a very emotional scene. I love the juxtaposition of that.”

"It felt like a throwback to me," Meloni adds of the movie, which evokes 1990s buddy comedies such as "Tommy Boy" and "What About Bob?" "It doesn't just play on superficial raunch for laughs ‒ there's a spine behind it that's really sweet."

John Cena was a 'very patient tutor' for costar Christopher Meloni

Cena, 49, made his acting debut in the 2006 action-drama “The Marine” but eventually found his bread and butter as a comedian, appearing alongside powerhouse duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (“Sisters”), as well as Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg (“Daddy’s Home”). He even made a delightful cameo in Greta Gerwig’s pink-hued phenomenon “Barbie,” playing Merman Ken opposite Dua Lipa.

“A lot of opportunity in my life is a happy accident,” Cena says. “I happened to be dining in the same place as Margot Robbie, who was like, ‘Hey, come be in this movie we’re filming across the street!’ I have the utmost respect for her, so I was like, ‘Of course, no problem!’ ”

“Little Brother” director Matt Spicer (“Ingrid Goes West”) first discovered Cena as an actor in comedies “Trainwreck” and “Blockers” before going back and doing a deeper dive on his career. As it turns out, Cena is a jack of all trades, whose hip-hop album “You Can’t See Me” landed at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2005.

“I did not know about his rap career before I worked on this movie, which was a real surprise to me,” Spicer says. “I think he’s the only artist to ever go platinum and then never make a follow-up album – it’s crazy!”

Behind the scenes, “he is a bit reserved, but he’s very deep,” Spicer says. “If you ask him about his car collection or how many houses he owns, he’s not going to engage. But if you’re like, ‘Hey, how did you meet your wife [Shay Shariatzadeh]?’ Then he’ll talk to you for 20 minutes.”

Cena’s “Little Brother” costars similarly learned a lot about him during filming. For instance, he and André have a shared love for “Saturday Night Live.” (“John and I have the same favorite sketch: when Will Ferrell is that weird doctor,” André says.) Monaghan, meanwhile, would often hear Cena playing classical music on the set.

“He actually has a piano in his trailer, and it’s something that he works on very intensely between takes,” Monaghan says. “It’s something that he absolutely loves. I never got to see him playing the piano – I kind of wanted to knock on his door. He’s a very interesting guy.”

Cena can even speak Mandarin, and he taught Meloni a few phrases while filming a Chinese dinner scene that goes haywire.

“He was a very patient and kind tutor,” Meloni says. “That’s how he conducted himself throughout the whole shoot: He was a very quiet, clear presence. He’ll share if he needs or wants to share. I would’ve loved to have known more about his Renaissance self, because he does seem that way.”

With 'Little Brother' on Netflix, Cena isn't looking back at wrestling

Cena, who also writes children’s books, has little interest in expounding on his myriad skills: “I have a bunch of fulfillment and joy in my life outside of work,” he says simply.

Instead, Cena would much rather heap praise on his costars: André, who “totally slays in this movie,” and Meloni, who “has a great outlook on life and surrounds himself with good energy.”

Last year, the actor opened up about a skin cancer scare, which he has since used to champion the use of sunscreen. (“It made me aware that I’m not indestructible,” Cena says now.) And as he looks to his 50^th birthday next year, he aims to “not be complacent” in the decade ahead.

Cena officially retired from in-ring competition last December, although he is still a WWE brand ambassador and occasional host. He doesn’t fault his fans for wanting “one more match,” but he also doesn’t feel any pull toward wrestling right now.

“Absolutely not," Cena says. "I won't look back on my in-ring career with anything less than the utmost gratitude. That chapter is closed, and I'm glad to have had it in my life.”