John Cena reveals that keeping one hand in his pocket at events is a ‘telltale sign’ he feels like he doesn’t belong in Hollywood

John Cena says keeping one hand in his pocket at public events is a sign that he is dealing with imposter syndrome. The actor and former WWE star revealed that he carries a pocket watch to hold whenever he feels out of place.

Cena made the admission during an interview with Romesh Ranganathan, where he was joined by his Matchbox: The Movie co-star Jessica Biel. As detailed by LADbible, the conversation opened with Ranganathan admitting he is a “people pleaser” who worried about giving his guests a bad impression.

Cena, 49, jumped in to reassure the comedian that he was not alone in feeling insecure. “You are not alone. No, for real, you are not alone,” Cena said, adding, “I go through a heavy dose of that in a lot of places.”

The engraving on Cena’s pocket watch says a lot

The Peacemaker actor explained that he carries the pocket watch with him at all times and holds it whenever he feels “less than” at an event. “You will see me literally rubbing it in places where I feel like less than,” he said.

Cena then showed the watch, which has the phrase “comparison is the thief of joy” engraved on the back. He said his hand being in his pocket is a “telltale sign that I don’t belong here,” before adding, “Super imposter syndrome.”

This is not the first time Cena has spoken candidly about his Hollywood career. He previously said he was “ran out of the movie business” because his heart was not in his early projects, which included the 2006 movie The Marine. “Those early projects, truth be told, I didn’t have my heart into,” Cena told 3rd Hour of Today.

Cena admitted he preferred performing for large WWE crowds at the time, which led to him being overlooked for further acting roles. “I got ran out of the movie business for not caring and that’s justifiably so,” he said. “If you don’t care about something, give somebody the opportunity that does.” Outside the ring, he has also taken part in Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 promotion.

The Suicide Squad actor says his outlook on the film industry has since done a 180, and he is now “super passionate” about his career. “I’m now super passionate about what I do and that’s everything from filming to sitting here talking about this movie with you guys and I’m so lucky to be given a second chance,” he said, adding that it “took 20 years to craft.”

Cena retired from WWE in 2025 and is now focused on his acting career.