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Priyanka Chopra Jonas And John Cena Talk 'Heads Of State,' Feminist Men, And Being Vulnerable
Priyanka Chopra Jonas and John Cena speak to The Hollywood Reporter India about the film's heartening gender dynamics and the art of crafting winning comedic chemistry.
It's not often you see two towering action stars in a buddy cop blockbuster being repeatedly saved by their female co-star. Amazon Prime Video's Heads Of State, directed by Ilya Naishuller, is the rare, lavishly mounted action flick that allows the female star to be the "muscle" of the movie.
When bickering UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and fictional-Hollywood-star-turned-US-President Will Derringer (John Cena) survive an assassination attempt, the pair are forced to team up—with the help of rogue MI6 agent Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) — to uncover a global conspiracy and save the free world.
During the film's junket in London, stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas and John Cena spoke to The Hollywood Reporter India about the film's heartening gender dynamics and the art of crafting winning comedic chemistry.
Edited Excerpts:
Priyanka, the first thing that struck me about the trailer, and then the film itself, is that we’re seeing you kick ass just as much as your two male co-stars. You are in many ways the “muscle” of the film, which is very rare to see. Was that always the case on paper? How much freedom did you have in shaping your character, Noel?
Priyanka Chopra Jonas: Surprisingly, yes. When the script came to me, Noel was always written as the “muscle” in the movie. And that, to me, was the humour of it because I’m short and petite and dainty compared to these guys (John Cena and Idris Elba). I’m the one protecting them, and I thought that was visually very funny.
But I loved the fact that this movie is written, helmed, produced and directed by men, and all these guys are feminist men who understand that they wanted a female to have this part. So, I have to give flowers where they’re due. I came into this movie with Ilya (Naishuller) hellbent on the fact that Noel is the muscle of the movie.
John, I think you are one of the most gifted comedic actors working in Hollywood today.
John Cena: You need to watch more movies. (laughs)
But with Trainwreck, Blockers, Peacemaker and now this film, we’ve seen just how capable you are at funny. What is it about comedy that makes you so comfortable?
John Cena: That’s a good question. I think being okay with yourself gives you the courage to do embarrassing things; shuffling on stage at the Oscars wearing nothing but an index card, for example. I knew when I read that on paper that it would be funny. The only reason I'd hesitate about something like that is that I'd be embarrassed. Well, get over it. Are you okay with who you are at the end of the day? Well then, try. And for every time I make someone laugh, there are a lot of jokes that don’t land. But I think it’s about the ability to be okay with failure and to be comfortable with yourself, rather than be lik, “Oh man, this will ruin my image”. It’s not that I don’t care about that, it’s that I’m okay with who I am so I’m okay trying stupid shit.
We also have to talk about the winning chemistry that you share with Idris Elba. We got a taste of it in Suicide Squad, and then we get a lot more here with the two of you playing the Commanders in Beef. If I were a fly on the wall on set watching you guys riff and play off of each other, what would I see? Are you rehearsing a lot or just going for it in the moment?
John Cena: It all comes down to remembering who the characters are. Remembering the stakes. And remember where you are in the movie. We don’t film things in sequence, and sometimes the characters are friends, sometimes they’re not, and it’s about knowing the journey of everyone. We start as archenemies, and there’s a character arc through the whole movie, and that’s what makes it fun. Don’t jump the gun. Know when to hold back. Know that in some scenes you will look like an idiot, but that’s okay because it’s going to pay off later in the movie when you’re vulnerable.
But you need people to root for you, so you need to have flaws and weaknesses. I think great professionals like Priyanka and Idris are not trying to look good or great in every scene, because they understand that really good characters with depth have flaws, and that’s why people pay attention to the arc.
Priyanka, you said in an interview recently that you love creating a playlist for each of your characters, and you also have different perfumes for each one. I wanted to ask you both if there are similar tricks and quirks you rely on when you’re trying to get into the headspace of a character.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas: I’m a very director’s actor. I like to sit with the director or the writers, depending on the medium and just try to understand what happens between scenes, what this character’s goal is within the 90 minutes of the movie and what the larger themes are. I’m not somebody who prepares very much on the day. I think about a character before I start the movie, but on the day, I just like knowing my lines and coming in and seeing what happens.
The scent part of it, I started doing very early on in my career, and it’s kind of stuck around. Especially for tougher characters. And you know how we shoot in India, balancing multiple films at once. So, for that, it’s very helpful because olfactory senses just take you back to a memory.
John Cena: I might borrow that one. I think for me, it’s the freedom to come up with ideas on your own in the time you spend before you start shooting. And I will mirror a lot of Priyanka’s process. I try to know the material, have an idea about the direction I want to go in, and the most important thing is to be coachable. You need to have the trust of your director and the people steering the ship. But if you don’t have the trust of the person making the movie, I don't know how coachable you can be, so I always try to have their trust.