"Is John Cena a big wrestler?" Frank Grillo talks about not knowing the Peacemaker star earlier and opens up about his character

Frank Grillo known for his tough guy roles joined the cast of Peacemaker Season 2 where he plays the character of Rick Flag Sr. Created by James Gunn, this series stars John Cena in the titular role, along with Danielle Brooks, Steve Agee, Freddie Stroma, Robert Patrick, Jennifer Holland, Sol Rodrigues, Tim Meadows, and David Denman, to name a few.

In an interview with GQ, Frank Grillo admitted that he previously knew little about the professional wrestler-turned-actor, John Cena. Speaking to GQ, he explained that when he was initially offered Peacemaker, he asked his son about John Cena and got a blunt response,

"But I had never seen Peacemaker. I didn't know who the f*** John Cena was. I asked my son, “Is John Cena a big wrestler?” He goes, “You're stupid.”

Since then, Grillo has familiarized himself with Cena's wrestling career and described him as,

"He's one of those bulls that you see out in the meadow where it's just muscle, on top of muscle, on top of muscle. Then I watched Cena doing his thing in the WWE and these guys are defying gravity, at 280 pounds. And so he's a scary man."

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How did Frank Grillo land a role in Peacemaker Season 2?

Grillo's journey to Peacemaker Season 2 began with James Gunn. Gunn, a longtime admirer of Grillo's works, personally reached out to him after watching him on Kingdom. Initially, Grillo signed on for the animated series Creature Commandos, voicing characters, and then joined the cast of Peacemaker. Grillo embraced the role despite logistical challenges. Grillo was already on a tight schedule, as he was filming for Tulsa King at the time. He said,

"I was shooting Tulsa King and I said, “They’re both in Atlanta, so if they can work the dates out, I'm down.”

He also had to tackle a quirky requirement, dancing for the show's opening credits. He said,

"Like, I don't dance. I'm a serious actor. And James said, “What do you mean? You're on the show, don't be stupid, you're dancing.”

Ultimately, Grillo's honesty, humor, and work ethic have enabled him to carve out a distinctive place in the world of superheroes and supervillains. Even entering the franchise with fresh eyes, he has made a mark, proving that curiosity and commitment can turn an unfamiliar zone into any actor's career-defining roles. Speaking about his character being tagged as a villain, Grillo explained,

"People are going, “Oh, you're the villain,” and I'm like, no, Flag is not the villain. He's an antagonist in this world of Peacemaker, but Peacemaker does a lot more fu**ed up things than Flag's ever gonna do."

Beyond Rick Flag Sr.: Frank Grillo's career and notable projects

Frank Grillo needs no introduction. Born on June 8, 1965, he's well known for his performance as Sergeant Leo Barnes in The Purge franchise and as Crossbones from the MCU. Apart from that, some of his notable works include Tulsa King, Superman, Werewolves, The Grey, and Boss Level, among others. Some of his upcoming works include Misdirection, Waller, Hard Matter, and Man of Tomorrow.

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Additionally, Grillo revealed to GQ that during the Peacemaker Season 2 premiere event, James Gunn told him that he was working on another project. The upcoming project will apparently have a larger role for Grillo. Grillo further shared that, even though he's unaware of the details, he would be happy to be a part of it.

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