“A damn good actor” This actor has almost the same background as Dwayne Johnson, but he never wanted to be the next “The Rock”: they are incomparable.

News culture “A damn good actor” This actor has almost the same background as Dwayne Johnson, but he never wanted to be the next “The Rock”: they are incomparable.

Two WWE Champions

Dwayne Johnson is not the only one who became an actor after being WWE Champion (professional wrestling). Indeed, Dave Bautista was also immersed in this sporting environment: he even won several competitions. The man also released an autobiographical documentary on this period of his life entitled Batista: The Animal Unleashed (2014). After definitively abandoning his wrestling career, he will be particularly known for his role in Les Guardians of the Galaxysaga where he plays Drax, a fellow fellow member of the team of heroes.

I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life until I was 30. – He expresses on the Kelly Clarkson Show, an American talk show.

While Dwayne Johnson became known in 2001 through his participation in the film The Return of the MummyDave Bautista became a real star when he starred in the very first Guardian of the Galaxyin 2014. If the two men have in common the fact of being offered roles of characters with big arms, Dave Bautista seizes more opportunities allowing him to diversify his incarnations. In an interview with Varietythe actor explains:

I'm really grateful to have played Drax (…) but I'm not sure I want that to be my legacy..

Much more than muscles

Following his involvement in the Disney franchise, Bautista became involved in more dramatic films such as Spectre (2015), the two chapters of Dune (directed by Denis de Villeneuve) and even, more recently, in a horror feature film: Knock at the Cabin (2023). This last project was very enriching for him, as he expressed during a interview on set:

It was an opportunity that I waited for years and years because this kind of role is not offered to guys like me. Everyone wants me for action (…) I've always struggled to get out of this boxI understand that naturally people want to put me in this box.

The star reunites with the man who plays Agent 007 in Specter by starring in a Netflix comedy, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). And, just like The Rock for Moana: The Legend of the End of the WorldDave Bautista tried his hand at voice-acting playing the Parakeet King in The Boy and the Heron. Regarding proximity to Dwayne Johnson, Bautista has stated several times in the media that he never wanted to be The Rock and that he just wants to “become a damn good actor”.