Randeep Hooda calls John Cena a better actor than people think, says acting remains his first love

Randeep Hooda has reaffirmed that acting remains his priority despite his growing interest in direction, following his National Film Award win for his directorial debut, Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. The actor recently added another international project to his career with Matchbox: The Movie, which brought him back together with director Sam Hargrave and gave him his first opportunity to work with wrestler-turned-actor John Cena.

Randeep Hooda praises John Cena's acting

Reflecting on his experience of working with Cena, Hooda praised the actor's focus and abilities, saying he believes Cena is better at acting than many people give him credit for.

“He is quirky on social media, but while working, he is very concentrated. He is a much better actor than what people make him out to be. I got to witness it in person by being with him in a scene. We found our common inspiration in Arnold Schwarzenegger,” Hooda said.

The two actors also discussed Cena's popularity in India during the shoot. According to Hooda, Cena is fond of the country and understands the scale of his following among Indian audiences, largely owing to his association with WWE.

“John loves India, and he is aware of the great following he has here. We discussed his much-talked about blue suit that he wore here. Indians relate to him due to WWE. While we were shooting, he went to have one of his fights, and it was surreal to know that. He has fans in India from age 8 to 80,” Hooda recalled.

Reuniting with Sam Hargrave for Matchbox

Matchbox: The Movie also reunited Hooda with Hargrave, who directed him in the 2020 film Extraction. The actor said he was excited to collaborate with the filmmaker again, particularly because of the action sequences and the character he was offered.

“It was great uniting with Sam again after Extraction. The kind of action and great character that he gave me was absolutely something and I really enjoyed doing it. The whole lot of people from Extraction were there on Matchbox, so it was like a reunion after a long time,” he said.

The project therefore gave Hooda an opportunity to work with familiar members of the Extraction team while embarking on a new international collaboration with Cena.

National Film Award encourages Hooda to explore direction

Hooda's professional journey has also taken a significant turn with his first National Film Award, which he received for Best Debut Director for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. The actor directed and starred in the film, which earned him recognition for his work behind the camera.

However, the accolade has not changed his priorities. Hooda said acting continues to be his first love, even as directing offers him a broader creative canvas.

“Acting remains, and it always will remain my first love. But the canvas or the expression as an artiste that you get as a director, is absolutely thrilling and one filled with so many different art forms that come together into one. So, while acting remains the first love but direction gives you a different kind of wings,” he said.

New scripts are in the works

Hooda has already written a couple of scripts but is still working out how he wants to approach existing material as a director. He also plans to take up projects as a producer, suggesting that he intends to explore several aspects of filmmaking alongside his acting career.

“I have written a couple of scripts and I'm still trying to figure out how I work with already written scripts as a director, but all in due time. As a producer too, I am going to be taking up a few projects as well,” he said.

The National Film Award, he added, has encouraged him to experiment further with filmmaking and explore his potential as a director.

“This pat on the back [National Award] definitely makes you want to experiment with it more, play around with it more. But the scripts are underway, they're almost there. As soon as I feel that they're ready, I'm going to take up the baton as a director again. But till then, and forever, acting remains my first love,” Hooda said.