Left to right: John Ortiz as Dr. Powell and John Cena as Agent Burns in Bumblebee from Paramount Pictures. Photo: Will McCoy
I&T Today: What are your thoughts on Volkswagen saying they’re going to discontinue the New Beetle after 2019? JC: As a car guy, I think we’re moving away from driving cars ourselves, so the Bug today isn’t the Bug that we fell in love with. It’s almost like the reboot of that. If people want to gravitate toward the classic VW Bug, the great thing about them is, because they were economical transportation, they made a whole lot of them and parts are still readily available. So it’s not like you’re going to be left out in the cold. If you want to drive a legitimate Beetle or a Volkswagen Bus or anything from that era, you definitely can get a hold of it. I think VW tried to recapture some of that peace and love phenomenon in the new design, but the stars didn’t align, so I think they’re making a good choice. I&T Today: What was it like for you to step into this role of Agent Burns in Bumblebee? JC: I really enjoyed it. After getting the script, I was fascinated with the way that they chose to reboot the franchise. I was fascinated with the fact that it was a prequel, so they got a little bit of liberty to deviate. But at the same time, they did a great job of not just ditching the tale that had been told, and truly being steadfast and trying to explain things from an origin standpoint. Details about my character are top secret, but it was really a decent challenge for
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me to step in and be able to do something like that. It’s something I haven’t done before. I&T Today: How has your time in the WWE ring helped with this type of action-oriented movie versus a comedy like Blockers? JC: What I’ve done in the WWE ring, no matter what the genre – it could be straight drama, it could be comedy, parody, huge-level action, minimal level action – always helps because if you break down what we do, we are storytellers. The character I play in Bumblebee is not an extension of who I am. I think the easiest way to transition from art form to art form is to begin with characters who are extensions of who you are. The awkward comedic presence in Trainwreck is kind of an extension of who I am. The awkward dad in Blockers is kind of an extension of who I am. And the reason I was drawn to something like this, it’s the first time where it’s not, but because I spent a lifetime telling stories and I try to use my tools of storytelling in taking a little bit of a risk, I think that’s where my career in the WWE will always help me in any sort of storytelling art form outside the WWE. I&T Today: Do you have a favorite memory you can share from filming Bumblebee? JC: It’s the rapport I had with Travis. I know that’s not very specific and there were certain explosions and effects that were really cool, but Travis is extremely gifted and not just as an
animator, but as a visionary. He had a very tough job in front of him. He reimagined this universe, and he saw it all in his head very specifically, and I think the biggest challenge for him was not to animate Bumblebee in a new form, or which Transformers to choose, or how to reset a 1980s rendition of this franchise. His biggest challenge was relating his vision to the people acting in the movie, and he made that seem easy. And he did it differently because my personality is different from Hailee [Steinfeld]’s, from everybody. He did it differently with every actor and actress and I saw it up close. I saw his interaction with me. I saw it from afar. He was extremely gifted and he is destined for great things, and that’s my best memory. You never saw him lose his cool. He just stayed focused on his vision and I really am excited for people to see this movie. I&T Today: What’s it like working on your upcoming film, Project X-traction? JC: We’re now filming in China and Scott Waugh is the director and I take advice daily from Scott and from Jackie Chan and I totally trust the process, especially because it’s a Chinese movie and in China the movies are made differently. They tend to hit plot points very fast. The movies are a super fast ride. The action is different. Everything is different, but I have total faith in Jackie. I have total faith in Scott. And once again, I’m just going to trust in the process. ■