A playful take on the dishy celebrity cameo , John Cena ‘s part in “ The Bear ” is an acquired taste. The legendary WWE champion — whose acting credits now include a top-line superhero in the DC Extended Universe — appears as Carmy’s beefy cousin Sammy Fak in Season 3, Episode 5, “Children.” The 6’ 1” supporting player arrives in the elite fine-dining epic created by Christopher Storer seemingly out of nowhere, but it’s really just the latest course in a string of smart casting choices that make up Cena’s quietly brilliant career.
“Anybody seen a ghost?” asks Sammy, his hulking frame filling the restaurant side-door. It’s a jarring scene that has drawn cheers as well as criticism online. Some audiences are delighted to see Cena in their favorite TV show.
By box office and general reputation, he’s a crowd favorite if there ever was one, even among non-wrestling fans. Others, however, have compared the moment to the awkward meme-ability sometimes characteristic of television written by A.I.
When Sammy pokes his head into The Bear for the first time, you could almost mistake it for that TikTok filter. You know, the one that put Cena’s floating head on a green screen and has him asking the timeless question: “ Are you sure about that? ” Still, as a matter of theme, it’s a fitting entrance for Sammy, a character who’s main — and maybe only — job is to introduce the idea of “haunting” to Jeremy Allen White’s workaholic chef. “Wh.