Dave Bautista Says Playing ‘Silly’ Drax ‘Wasn’t All Pleasant’
Dave Bautista is glad to be done with playing Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Drax the Destroyer. In a recent interview with GQ, the action star says he wants to move on to the next phase of his acting career. Bautista will next be seen in M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin. He stars alongside Harry Potter‘s Rupert Grint as they take a family hostage to avert the apocalypse in the highly-anticipated thriller.
Bautista, 53, told the publication that though he is “so grateful for Drax.” But he also admitted that “there’s a relief [that it’s over].” He explained, “It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role. The makeup process was beating me down. And I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy — it’s a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff.”
Further in the interview, Bautista discussed upcoming projects in 2023 that will shape his post-Marvel career. In regards to the upcoming Knock at the Cabin film, he said, “It’s by far the most I’ve ever spoken in a film. Just huge pages of monologues. We were shooting on film, which is very expensive. And we were shooting with one camera, so you don’t have the luxury of edits. It’s your only opportunity — you need a perfect take. It’s a lot of pressure. I want to remember my dialogue, but not at the expense of losing the emotion of the scene.”
When it comes to fame, Bautista told GQ, “Honestly, I could give a f— [about being a movie star].” He later added, “I don’t live a great big glamorous life. I live here in Tampa. I don’t care about the spotlight, I don’t care about fame. I just want to be a better actor. I want respect from my peers. I don’t need accolades — I really don’t, man. It’s about the experience, about knowing that I accomplished something.”
Watch the trailer for Knock at the Cabin, out in theaters on February 3, below:
