United Kingdom, May 17 -- John Cena has admitted his first step into Hollywood led to him being virtually frozen out of the movie business.

Revealing he nearly lost his acting career after failing to take filmmaking seriously following his breakout WWE success, the wrestler turned actor, 49, made the admission as he reflected on his early years in cinema ahead of the 20th anniversary of The Marine - the action film that marked his big-screen debut after becoming one of WWE's defining stars of the 2000s.

Speaking to People magazine, John said the transition from sold-out wrestling arenas to silent film sets proved far more difficult than he expected.

He said about making The Marine: "(This) is so sad to say, but I have to lead with hone...