John Cena, welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
Thank you very much.
It's good to be connected with you-- at a distance.
(laughing)
Man, last time I saw you was in person, and I gave you a hug,
and I feel like I should have hugged you for longer,
because I didn't know that might be the last hug
I ever get to give you. Um...
-before we... -It won't be.
You... hey, man, you got to have hope.
It won't be. We will hug each other again.
I don't know when.
I... I can't tell you when.
But you got to have hope, man, you got to have hope, so...
Okay, okay, let's say in...
in 2020 I probably won't get to hug you.
But, um, but before we get into all the work you've been doing,
what has John Cena been up... like, how has John Cena
been keeping himself, um, motivated, excited,
optimistic, just the John Cena that we know,
how are you keeping that going
in the 2020 that we're all experiencing?
Uh, so...
Uh, one favor, John, sorry, before you answer,
-can you look slightly higher, just for... -I can.
-Perfect. Thank you, thank you. -I can. It's really difficult
not to look at you and look... look at my micro camera,
but I'm... I'm going to adjust to the surroundings.
I know the situation has been different for everyone.
Uh, for me, the way I go about life hasn't changed.
I look at it more like the rules have changed.
So because of what's happened,
we have to live under different rules.
But... I guess the ethos of my life
is to just try to earn every day.
So, uh, that has... the perspective of that has changed,
but I've-I've been able to kind of...
stay true to who I am
just by operating under the constraints
of, you know, life is a gift and earn every day.
Man, I feel like you-you... you really earn every single day.
'Cause one thing I've always admired about you is,
not just what a good person you are,
but, man, you work so hard.
I mean, you're in the new Fast & Furious movie.
You are in an HBO spinoff series, right?
That nobody's even seen yet.
Yeah. You are also... you're also gonna be hosting
Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?
I mean, I... Do you have the same 24 hours that I do,
or am I measuring time incorrectly?
Well, see, here's the thing, and this is a...
I don't want to create a gross misconception.
Um... (sighs)
when I say "earn every day,"
I mean if... if I wake up completely lazy
and I can't do anything,
that's my earning the day.
Like, take the day to relax and do nothing.
So I am not... I don't believe in the concept--
I did as a younger... a younger man--
but I don't believe in the concept
of, like, grind 24/7.
-Yeah. -I do believe in the concept
of seizing opportunity
and understanding when it's at your feet
and going out to get it.
But a lot of that is, you have to be passionate
about these opportunities,
and you have to put yourself in them,
and if you can't alter your course
to be able to make the most of it,
the opportunity's gonna fall short,
the product's gonna fall short, and you're gonna...
you're gonna deliver bad entertainment to consumers.
So I rest, and I kick back and do nothing,
like anybody else.
So it's not that we have a different set of clocks.
We maybe just have a different way of looking at it.
You are a New York Times best-selling author.
You know? Um, the last time you came on the show,
we were talking about one of your books,
one of the earlier books in this series,
and we're back talking about it again.
Elbow Grease-- you've been updating the series.
Kids love it, man.
Parents love sharing it with their kids.
There it is. There it is.
Tell me a little bit about that, about the new book.
Yeah, well, so, the third book in the series
is called Fast Friends,
and it introduces a character called Chopper.
And Chopper possesses all the skills
of the five brothers,
but she's better than all of them combined.
So, the book doesn't stray away from the core of the book.
This book is supposed to be big and animated and fun
and use words like "gumption" and "jiggamabobber"
and phrases like, "Ow-ee kazow-ee!"
Because you have young readers, and you want to be able for them
to use their imagination and...
you know, lose themselves in the situations.
-Uh-huh. -But what I really wanted to try to do
was offer the ability for parents and young readers
to approach...
topics you normally wouldn't talk about,
like self-worth and facing failure
and facing fear and being proud of who you are
and what to do when you see someone
that is more skilled than you.
How do you react when you see someone that is better than you?
Not judging people by simply how they look.
"Oh, she's a girl, she can't do that,"
only to find out that Chopper is better
than not only just one of the brothers
at their specific best skill,
-Uh-huh. -better than all of them at all of their skills.
So, um, it's-it's... it's a really...
You can take from it what you want.
I want young readers to go back and read the books
and maybe enjoy the pictures, but also, if you're a parent,
if you're a teacher, or if you're a young reader
and you want to lean into some of this stuff
you don't usually talk about, it's all there,
but it doesn't hit you over the head.
And that's been a very meticulous process
with all three of the books.
You can't be out there in the same way,
but you've found a really creative way
to promote this book.
Tell me a little bit about what you're doing.
Yeah. So, um, normally, right, you do autograph signings,
and that is really where you get the word out about the book,
and not only that, you get to meet people
and interact with people, and those are some great moments.
So, once again, the rules have changed,
and rather than say, like, "Aw, man, we can't do that,"
I was saying, "What can we do to substitute?"
In an autograph signing, I would shake people's hands,
maybe you have time for a question or so.
Can we set up that interface where they can leave their name,
-Wow. -leave a message, and I can give them a video?
So, for the past month, I've been doing a lot of videos,
which is awesome, because people enjoy not only the book,
but it's a chance for people,
maybe at a time where they just need to hear somebody.
-Right. -Which is awesome.
You never know what your interaction
can mean to someone.
I look forward to the day
that we can actually go places and meet people again,
-but this is what we got. -Man, if people didn't love you enough
from everything that you do in front of the camera
or everything that you do in the streets for people...
You know, then you read in the news that John Cena
donated half a million dollars to the Los Angeles Department...
uh, Fire Department, you know, helping firefighters out in L.A.
We've seen how desperate they are for any help.
And then we see that John Cena also said, "You know what?
I'm gonna step up and donate to Black Lives Matter,"
matching what BTS did, and just stepping into the fray.
And I... I wonder, like, what is it about the issues of the world
that make John Cena go, "Man, I'm gonna step in"?
You seem like that kind of guy,
but a lot of people seem like that but aren't that.
What makes you do it?
Uh, the BTS Army matched BTS's $1 million donation.
I am a member of the BTS Army
and was very glad to contribute to that chunk.
But I was only a contributing chunk.
The BTS Army was responsible for matching BTS...
So you're part of the BTS Army?
Yeah, of course.
-Oh, wow. -And I was proud to be part of that initiative.
But I think the takeaway here
is that this group of Korean pop fans
stepped up, came out of their wallets,
and decided that they want to use resource
to help change the world.
And I was... I was inspired by that,
and I was inspired to give
and I was happy to be part of that group.
But I do-- I cannot take credit for that
and I cannot take the credit away from not only BTS
for donating a million bucks, but the BTS ARMY
for matching it, and matching it in-in 24 hours, I believe.
You're the gift for coming on the show.
Thank so much again for joining us.
Look after yourself. Take that time off...
I look forward to seeing you in person.
-I don't know when it's gonna be. -I'm gonna hug the shit
out of you, just so you know.
It's gonna be a long bro embrace.
It's gonna be a long hug, man.
-I'm not playing around. -I miss your musk, man.
-I miss you musk. -Thank you so much, John.
-Great seeing you, buddy. -Thank you.