WHEN fire superintendent Jake Carson (played by John Cena) and his elite team of firefighters (Keegan-Michael Key, John Leguizamo and Tyler Mane) rescue three siblings (Brianna Hildebrand, Christian Convery and Finley Rose Slater) from an encroaching wildfire, they quickly realise that nothing can prepare them for their most challenging job yet — as babysitters.
The firefighters, who are unable to locate the children’s parents, have their lives, jobs and even their fire depot turned upside down.
Cena holds 16 World Wrestling Entertainment championships and has since been busy making his name in Hollywood.
He headlined The Marine in 2006, following it with other WWE film productions. However, the last few years have seen him branch out into other genres to great success.
He worked with comedy director Judd Apatow on Trainwreck and delivered a terrific performance in the 2018 hit Blockers, opposite Leslie Mann.
He will be returning to his action roots in both the ninth Fast And Furious film and The Suicide Squad, a mega budget double bill that underscores his big-screen status.
In Playing With Fire, his character Carson is the leader of a team of smokejumpers, dedicated and skilled firefighters who parachute from planes into remote locations to battle wildfires.
“They cheat death every time they board the plane,” he said in a recent interview.
The biggest challenge for Cena’s character is not the fire but who he rescues from it.
Hildebrand (as Brynn), Convery (as her younger brother Will) and Slater (as their youngest sister Zoey) are a handful for a macho man used to fighting fires, not feelings.
Key, one half of the sketch comedy duo Key & Peele, has become a household name in America, where he acted as President Barack Obama’s “anger translator” in one particularly iconic speech.
But Key has ambitions beyond comedy. Playing With Fire allows him to have a lot of fun, while also playing a heroic fireman.
“This film is not only about fun but one that also has an important and inspiring message about family — that family is what you make it,” he said.
Playing With Fire opened yesterday. A Paramount Pictures production, it is executive produced by Mark Moran, produced by Todd Garner and Sean Robins, and directed by Andy Fickman.
It also stars Dennis Haysbert and Judy Greer.
Below is the interview with Key and Cena.
KEY, DID YOU BRING YOUR BRAND OF “LOUD” COMEDY INTO THIS FILM?
Key: I think so. A lot of that is due to Key & Peele. Jordan and I would always look at an idea and then the second idea and then the idea within the idea.
DO YOU SELF-CENSOR WHEN IT COMES TO COMEDY?
Key: Todd (Garner) and I wanted to let it be as fun as possible. There was a lot of self-censoring but there were also opportunities when they let me go off and do whatever I wanted to do.
CENA SAID HE WAS NERVOUS AND THAT HE OCCASIONALLY FELT OUT OF HIS DEPTH WITH THE IMPROVISATION. HOW DID HE COPE?
Key: In the ring, he had a lot of flexibility and there was improvisation. I think that he tapped into that. He is passionate about comedy and he is very funny.
WERE YOU SURPRISED AT HOW COMFORTABLE CENA WAS AT POKING FUN AT HIS IMAGE?
Key: He doesn’t take himself too seriously and I think that is a real aspect of his success. He takes a moment to laugh at himself.
CENA, HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN PLAYING WITH FIRE?
Cena: I read it to see if it resonated with me. It did. I think that’s the first step.
WHAT RESONATED WITH YOU?
Cena: I remember it being branded as a family comedy. I remember getting emotional at the right places. When I’m reading the words and I’m that emotionally attached, I know there is something there.
DO YOU FEEL AT HOME IN COMEDY?
Cena: I like laughing. If I can somehow take the skills that I have and make other people laugh, that’s great. A lot of that is just surrounding yourself with really funny people and allowing them to assess your strengths and weaknesses. It also comes with understanding the jokes. As long as you stay within those parameters, it’s going to be fine.
HOW DO YOU FIGURE ALL OF THOSE THINGS OUT?
Cena: Listen to the people around you. You go over material. A lot of times, you come up with ideas on the day. You just take it one day at a time.
IT FEELS LIKE A LOT OF THE DIALOGUE IN THIS FILM WAS IMPROVISED. IS THAT TRUE?
Cena: Absolutely. When you have these gifted master craftsmen in Greer, Leguizamo and Key, you never know what you’re going to get. And that’s why I really enjoyed working with Apatow, the director of Trainwreck. He would let you go to just see what you got. Fickman was exactly like that too.
HOW DID YOU FIND WORKING WITH KEY?
Cena: Incredible. Keegan creates comedy around the room just using his resources. It’s flawless. It was just a pleasure watching him work.
THERE’S A SCENE WHERE YOU AND HIM ARE BOTH DANCING. ARE YOU A NATURAL DANCER?
Cena: Not at all. That was another example of facing my fears. Fickman said, “Just dance like no one is watching.” I saw a kid on the street the other day. He came out of a shop and just danced. I was with Keegan and I said, “I want to be able to do that, to dance like nobody is watching.”
I’m not yet brave enough, but saying that is the first step to facing the fear.
WHAT DID YOU KNOW ABOUT SMOKEJUMPERS BEFORE THIS MOVIE?
Cena: Fickman educated us about who these people are and what they do. They cheat death every single time they board the plane as do all first responders. The common thread that links them is that they don’t want to be recognised as individuals — they just want their department recognised. And there really are only 336 of them in the world.
YOUR CHARACTER NEVER CRIES. IN REAL LIFE. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Cena: This morning. I was reflecting on my past and talking to someone who is close to me. That cliche about men not crying is bad and this movie hits it in the face. I think we have to stop putting people on this white horse. They have to stop trying to be stoic and perfect in times of crisis.
I come from an industry which is fuelled by machismo. Even if you watch my character arc in WWE, I challenged myself to face losing, to face failure, to face embarrassment. That’s where “Never Give Up” comes from.
IS THAT REALLY WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THIS?
Cena: Yeah. It’s all the emotions. These are things that I can relate to. And if I have to do it 50 times, I’ll still be moved because I can still relate to what’s going on.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR CAREER GOING NOW?
Cena: I think having no expectations is a great way to stay thankful because everything that comes my way is something I shouldn’t have had in the first place.
When I was in WWE, I never expected anything except a chance. I’m just thankful for a chance. Right now, I’m thankful for this movie and hope everyone enjoys it.
Courtesy of United International Pictures Malaysia
Playing With Fire is currently showing in cinemas nationwide.