If you watched the latest episode of Peacemaker, you may be wondering if John Cena was actually playing the piano in this week’s episode.
This morning on Twitter, director James Gunn confirmed that John Cena is a “musical prodigy.” Diehard John Cena fans may have known that he could play, but the news was a shocker for many.
The announcement was made with an entire story attached to it that will take you on an emotional roller coaster.
“While we were shooting #TheSuicideSquad in Panama, I got word my dog of nearly 17 years was about to pass away”, Gunn recalled. “It was one of the saddest days of my life. I decided to fly home for a day to be with him. I sat in the hotel lobby bar with John waiting to be taken to the airport.”
“John got up & sat at the grand piano & played the most beautiful rendition of The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind.” It crushed me & yet soothed me & everyone around me was crying. I wanted to capture some semblance of that moment with this song.”
Gunn hoped to recreate part of that real-life moment, and tie it in with the life and identity of Cena’s character. He wanted the moment to mean something to the vigilante.
“Chris Smith is an artist who has been decimated by this world. He’s been decimated by who his parents are, what his surroundings are, & the entire culture he’s been brought up in. This is not to say he is not culpable; he is. But he is emotionally mute, unable to express himself.”
“I think when he’s playing the piano here it’s the first time we’ve really seen him. Everything else has been noise & drama & puffery.”
“As a side note, the piano tuner came in to tune our piano the day we shot this & was grumbling about how old & shitty it was. But this seemed to more likely be the kind of piano that was abandoned in an old video store, & more true to the story, so we went with it.”
Gunn went on to say that the rendition of “Home Sweet Gome” that Cena played was composed by John Murphy. Murphy was a composer for The Suicide Squad & Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.
Now, this isn’t the first time John Cena has been seen playing the piano. He was seen on The Bella Twins’ YouTube a few years ago, playing the instrument for his then-fiance, Nikki Bella.
Cena has also performed a famous rendition of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” in the past. Each time he makes a musical appearance, Cena steals hearts, and his performance on Peacemaker is no exception.
