All three actors have appeared in the 'Fast & the Furious' franchise.
John Cena is giving some behind-the-scenes intel into the rumored feud between his Fast & the Furious co-stars, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Vin Diesel.
Cena played Jakob in 2021's F9: The Fast Saga as well as in 2023's Fast X. His turn in the long-standing franchise came at a time when Johnson and Diesel were rumored to be at-odds. Cena addressed this tension on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast.
"At least it was rumored that was a rough pairing," Shepard said of Johnson and Diesel relationship.
"There's certainly rumors about that. I can't deny that," Cena admitted, laughing. "You have two very alpha-driven people. You get two, there can only be one."
Diesel has been with the Fast franchise from the beginning, playing the family-focused Dominic Toretto. Johnson joined the franchise in 2011's Fast Five as Luke Hobbs. He went on to appear in 2013's Fast & Furious 6, 2015's Furious 7, 2017's The Fate of the Furious, 2019's Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, and 2023's Fast X.
The alleged tension began in 2016 when Johnson called a few of his male Fast & Furious co-stars "candy a**es" and "unprofessional" on Instagram, which fans quickly assumed was a reference to Diesel. A source told ET at the time that Diesel and Johnson definitely clashed on set during filming.
Johnson later vowed in 2021 that there was "no chance" of him returning to star in a Fast & Furious movie -- with plans instead to spin off his and Jason Statham's character in Hobbs & Shaw films.
However, the Fast X post-credits scene features Jason Momoa's villain calling Hobbs to tell him he's coming for him next -- all but confirming Johnson's return for the 11th Fast film. The actor will also star in an upcoming Hobbs-focused Fast & Furious movie that will bridge the gap between Fast X and the upcoming Fast X: Part II.
"It was no easy task, because so much has been created in this universe," Diesel said of Johnson's return in a previous featurette. "To tie up all these storylines, this character needed to come back into the mythology."
The franchise star previously told ET that he was proud of each member of the "great cast" that makes up the extended Fast family.
"We lead with love," he shared. "We try to create an environment where people can do their best work."
As for Cena's take on entering the franchise, he said on Armchair Expert that he went into the films with a respect for the films' legacy.
"I'm being invited into someone's home, into someone's family and regardless of how they look physically in comparison to another human being, this is one IP that's had nine installments and it's an action movie. That's rarified air," Cena explained. "At the very least, there has to be respect for that. And I think when you look at it from that perspective, and I also know I'm a guest. I'm not trying to get into the sandbox. That's not my thing. I'm grateful for what you've given me. I just want to be the best firetruck I can."
Cena and Johnson have their own history of tension embedded in their WWE backgrounds. After Johnson left the WWE to pursue an acting career, Cena called him out before later making the same decision with his own path. The two have since made up, with Cena admitting to being in the wrong.
In January, Cena told ET that his stint in the WWE would be done sooner rather than later.
"That's not a maybe. That time is gonna come and it's gonna come soon," he told ET. "I never wanted to just go out there for the sake of going out there."
The 46-year-old star noted he will be done before turning 50.
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