"The most difficult part of this was certainly being that new kid on the block," said Cena.
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The actor and pro wrestler is the latest star to crash the party of the long-standing "Fast and Furious" franchise with the latest entry "F9" from director Justin Lin.
"This is a franchise that does not need me for its existence or success," said Cena. "You just have to, in the short time you're filming, you have to convince these folks who have been together for two decades that you want to contribute and make the best movie possible."
Cena plays the long lost brother of Vin Diesel's character, Dom Toretto, and says his first meeting with the star and producer wasn't an audition... just two guys hanging out at Diesel's gym.
"Man it was surreal, I remember leaving going, 'Did I just hang out with Vin Diesel?' I don't even know what's going on anymore!" said Cena. "I didn't know what the end product was, or why we were having the conversation, he just reached out, and that's kind of how it started."
Lin's first meeting with Cena was equally memorable.
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"He was the first person I met within 30 seconds I thought I'm so lucky, it's not gonna be a long drawn out search," said Lin. "He has siblings, he is fearless, he is humble. And he is the perfect fit into what we're trying to do."
Cena wasn't sure how he'd fit in with this tight knit group. But he says he's spent his life taking chances.
"I think we sometimes tend to gravitate to opportunities we'll only be successful in, and I've learned the most through failure," said Cena. "So I guess I'm just not afraid to swing and miss."
Cena will take that swing with two more big movies this summer: "Suicide Squad" and "Vacation Friends."