Jackie Chan: The Gold Standard for Action Comedies

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15 (UPI) — John Cena revealed that comedic martial artist Jackie Chan is his gold standard for action comedy, a benchmark he aims to meet with his upcoming film, Jackpot!, which premieres on Prime Video on Thursday.

Cena, 47, takes on the role of Noel, a private security guard tasked with protecting lottery winner Katie, played by Awkwafina, from people intent on murdering her to claim her winnings. In this film’s unique twist, California has legalized the act of killing a lottery winner to take their prize.

“I hold someone like Jackie Chan as the standard bearer,” Cena shared during a recent Zoom interview with UPI.

Cena expressed admiration for Chan’s action scenes, which he believes have significant stakes due to the peril the heroes face. He and Chan previously co-starred in the Netflix movie Hidden Strike, released last year.

In Jackpot!, Cena’s character, Noel, fights off countless would-be millionaires in choreographed action scenes. The humor often stems from unlikely characters, like yoga students and tourists, engaging in these conflicts, along with Noel and Katie’s witty one-liners.

Cena emphasized the importance of balance in action comedies. “Sometimes, when you tell too many jokes, you can erase the stakes,” he noted. “There’s always a joke to be had, but you don’t want to tell a joke that ruins the stakes.”

The film flips the script by having Katie rescue Noel before the day ends, offering a fresh comedic angle. Cena took great pleasure in stepping into the “damsel in distress” role, enjoying “every single minute” of it.

Despite his binds, Noel is far from powerless. In one action-packed scene, he fights off attackers while tied to a chair.

“I like the challenge of ‘let’s take the physical advantage away from you,'” Cena said, appreciating the opportunity to show resourcefulness despite constraints.

Even though the premise of Jackpot! involves legally sanctioned murder, the film maintains a light-hearted and adventurous tone, focusing more on the excitement of dodging killers in the quest to secure Katie’s winnings.

Noel’s approach to his job adds a touching element. Tasked with ensuring Katie’s survival so she can enjoy her financial windfall, he also benefits from a percentage of the winnings, which he uses to help others.

“I’m supposed to be an ignorantly virtuous, larger-than-life, smiling face of hope in a place where there’s not much faith in humanity,” Cena explained.

Naturally, Cena’s character also serves as the target for some humorous ribbing. One joke, initiated by director Paul Feig, involved Awkwafina’s character telling Noel that his face resembles an ear — a line that Cena confirmed Feig had privately suggested to her.

“I won’t see the jokes,” Cena remarked about Feig. “I can hear them both giggling and I know something’s coming.”

As for his future projects, Cena is currently in the midst of filming Season 2 of his Max series, Peacemaker, though he’s tight-lipped about the details. He also mentioned that he never got the chance to see Coyote vs. Acme, the Wile E. Coyote film that Warner Bros. Discovery decided not to release.

Balancing his movie and television projects with his ongoing wrestling career in the WWE, where he’s been a fixture since 2001, Cena appreciates the immediate feedback from live audiences, something that distinguishes wrestling from filmmaking.

“If it’s going bad and an audience doesn’t understand a bit, you have a chance to change it,” Cena said, likening wrestling to stand-up comedy in its real-time audience interaction.