Marvel Studios’ upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” marks the end of the road for the current line-up of characters and the film’s writer/director James Gunn.
Former wrestler Dave Bautista broke through playing Drax the Destroyer in the film before segueing into a successful career in other roles from “Spectre,” “Army of the Dead” and “Blade Runner 2049” to the recently released “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story”.
The actor seems very determined to carve out a career for himself and certainly not be typecast to Drax-like roles. In fact, whilst speaking with GQ he says he’s ready to move on from the part that made him famous.
He remains grateful for the opportunity ge got playing Drax but now, that he’s reached the end of the road for the character, he says he feels ‘relief’ it’s over:
“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him. But there’s a relief [that it’s over]. 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.”
One thing Bautista doesn’t want to do is to copy Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s trajectory from wrestler to action film star who sticks pretty strictly to major studio action blockbusters. He says:
“I never wanted to be the next Rock. I just want to be a good f—ing actor. A respected actor.”
Bautista adds that his work with Villeneuve excites him and hopes one day to lead a film for the director:
“If I could be a number one [on the callsheet] with Denis, I would do it for f—ing free. I think that’s how I could find out how good I could be. He brings out the best in me. He sees me in a different light, sees the performer that I want to be. That might be how I solve the puzzle.”
Bautista will be seen later this year in both M. Night Shyamalan’s “Knock at the Cabin” and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” along with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”.
