John Cena says sex scenes are 'the worst' — but not as bad as being naked at the Oscars

John Cena is no stranger to baring everything before a rapt audience, but that doesn’t make it any easier. 

The WWE world champ turned actor is ready to speak his truth about the awkwardness of getting undressed for a role — whether it be an extended movie scene, or a brief bit at a nationally televised event.

"Oh my god, it’s the worst,” Cena told Club Shay Shay’s Shannon Sharpe when asked if shooting sex scenes is hard (pun intended). He explained that while the final product is intimate and personal, the filming process involves the presence of many eyes and ears.

"There are so many people you need to make a movie,” Cena continued. “There's nothing intimate about it. Nothing. Like it's really embarrassing.”

Cena specifically referenced his uncomfortable sex scene with Amy Schumer in their 2015 comedy, Trainwreck, adding, “On top of that, to do a comedic sex scene, where you’re like, making fun of yourself? They literally [said] ‘Try to have the most awkward sex you possibly can.’ I don’t want to say it sucks, but it’s different than you all think it was.”

All of that said, when asked to compare his intimate Trainwreck sequence to his experience streaking at the 2024 Academy Awards, Cena swiftly confirmed that his Oscars appearance was much more difficult.

“I got all the people behind the camera, but then I walk out in front of a room of my peers, many of which I’ve never met because I haven't worked my way up to meet [them],” he said. “I have the most decorated performers, producers, directors in one room and I’m gonna go out there with my balls in the wind, with an index card covering my stuff like, ‘Hey guys, is this funny? Are we good?’”

The ceremony saw Cena pay tribute to a legendary moment from the 1974 Academy Awards, which saw a streaker sprint across the stage behind host David Niven. But instead of appearing unplanned and unprompted, host Jimmy Kimmel coaxed Cena out by referencing the moment and cueing his entrance with the line, "Can you imagine a naked man at the Oscars today?" The bit then saw Cena appear, strategically holding a winners' envelope in front of his private parts, to say that he’s changed his mind about streaking.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Embarrassment aside, Cena admits that it took very little convincing to get him onboard with the skit. 

“Jimmy Kimmel called me personally and was like, ‘I need you to come to the Oscars,’” the Peacemaker star said, explaining that he initially dismissed the invitation because he was between projects and needed time to recharge. “And he’s like, ‘Just let me send you the bit.’ And he sent it on paper and I called him back, like, ‘When do you need me there?’”

Not only did Cena agree, he did so expecting much worse: "I honestly thought I would be more naked. I expected full dick and nuts, but it’s Disney, so they put tape on my buttcrack and stuff.”

He added, “That was even more embarrassing. Going out there with a taped butthole? It’s tough.”

Following the ABC telecast, insiders confirmed that Cena wasn’t totally naked, since the network couldn’t risk a slip up. As Rob Mills, an exec for Walt Disney Television, explained, “We made sure that, for all intents and purposes, he looked like a Ken doll up front. His crack was covered in the back and then the envelope was Velcro-ed on there so it wouldn’t fall. But beyond that, he was naked.”

You can watch Cena talk sex scenes, Oscar discomfort and more in the Club Shay Shay episode above.