When you’re a wrestler, it’s easy to be typecast. You spend your career in colorful tights, playing larger-than-life and over-the-top characters, which can hurt your career. The only remedy for that is to improve as a performer. Dave Bautista’s growth is a perfect example of how far you can come. He’s easily the greatest wrestler-turned-actor, and he’ll keep improving with the challenging roles that he continues to take on.
Now, we have John Cena. One of the biggest stars to ever step in the ring - someone whose first starring role came in a WWE movie The Marine. From there, he’s been featured and starred in various films, but most of them have been action or comedy. And while DC Studios' Peacemaker is both, he’s been able to show his range as an actor throughout this series. But, as James Gunn said during the Peacemaker Podcast, what he did in season 2, episode 6 was something special.
The scene in question features Emilia Harcourt (played by Jennifer Holland) and Cena's Christopher Smith and it takes place after Harcourt is cleared of having drugs in her system. Chris took this opportunity to finally have a conversation with her about his feelings for her. Sadly, this doesn’t go Peacemaker's way. Harcourt believes she’s too broken, but Chris tells her that he doesn’t care and that he still loves her. It’s a cliché line, but it hits hard because Cena delivers it perfectly.
"And, in this scene, you see what I saw in John Cena, way back in The Suicide Squad that made me want to make this show."James Gunn
First, there was the slight look of embarrassment when Harcourt said she knew that Chris was in love with her. It isn’t just the emotion in his voice (which is superb); you can see the hurt and love in his eyes. Then, as he’s pleading with Harcourt to give him a reason to go back home, Jennifer Holland fires back with a perfect performance that captures how Harcourt is feeling, showing her love for Chris without using the words. She does it by saying that she is a mess and that she's protecting him from her. The way Cena responds, as Chris tells her that he still loves her, was delivered flawlessly. You couldn’t have asked for stronger performances from this scene.
Now, this wasn’t the only part of the scene that was great. It opened with anger from both characters, but that's something we’ve seen both Cena and Holland do exceptionally well before. And yes, both actors have had performances in previous episodes where they showed their range. But there was something particularly exceptional about how they conveyed the sadness, love, and self-hatred that both Chris and Harcourt are feeling that made this one of the best moments of the whole series.
Peacemaker is the gift that keeps on giving. It continues to surprise people with its mature writing and exceptional use of subtext, and its performers have excelled in personifying it all. We can't wait to see where the show and its stars take us next. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to find out if that happens.
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