Cody Rhodes has spent years blending wrestling and acting, but his upcoming role as Guile in the Street Fighter reboot marks a crossover. The WWE champion, who has held the title multiple times, explained how his wrestling background directly shaped the character’s physicality and presence in the film.
Rhodes’ connection to Street Fighter began decades ago. As a child, he played Street Fighter II on his Nintendo console, though he admits his skills never matched his childhood confidence. “I loved me some Street Fighter II,” he said. “And I was shockingly better at it as a child than I am as a full-grown adult male.”
Yet his wrestling career has given him the tools to embody Guile’s intensity. “Being a wrestler and coming to do Street Fighter informs the character, but probably in different ways than people think,” he noted. The stunt work, like Guile’s signature Flash Kick, benefits from Rhodes’ training. “I can get on the wire, and I can actually pull this Flash Kick off, and I can land. You can throw a punch.”
Beyond physicality, Rhodes drew from his time in the WWE to capture Guile’s commanding presence. “There’s a presence about Guile that reminds me a lot of all the great wrestlers where, when they walk in a room, you want heads turning.” His wrestling experience taught him how to fill a space, a skill he’s now applying to a movie role.
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Preparing for the film required balancing WWE commitments with a major production. Rhodes described the transition as moving from “my day job as a pro wrestler into my new day job being Guile.” The effort reflects his lifelong passion for the franchise, ensuring the character stays true to the games fans grew up with.
On set, Rhodes found unexpected chemistry with his castmates, including 50 Cent and Andrew Schulz. The collaboration, spanning wrestling, hip-hop, and acting, has created a dynamic energy.
Street Fighter is in theaters from Oct. 16, 2024.
Rhodes’ Sources for Guile’s Military Authenticity
He said much of Guile’s portrayal contains humor, and he consulted a friend serving in the Air Force about details such as posture and preferred phrases. Rhodes said the element that resonated most was the inclusion of dog tags, and he added that his experience in the larger-than-life WWE setting informed how he presented the character. He emphasized that the dog tags gave him a tangible link to the character’s military identity.
