Former wrestler Dave Bautista's breakout role in Hollywood was with the 2014 Marvel feature Guardians of the Galaxy directed by James Gunn. He played the warrior Drax the Destroyer in the superhero franchise film, becoming the comic relief in the series. The actor also received kudos for his portrayal of Drax. This year, he says goodbye to the character after six movies over nine years, according to a report on www.hindustantimes.com.
Dave is not the first wrestler to join Hollywood. Dwayne Johnson and John Cena have also made a name for themselves in the industry. But filmmakers and fans have noted Dave's enthusiasm to branch out as an actor since he began acting in 2006. He was recently seen in Rian Johnson's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in December where he played Duke, a former video game streamer turned men's rights activist. Rian also stated he believes Dave has the potential to take a real dramatic lead role with an established filmmaker and deliver.
In a new interview with GQ magazine, Dave spoke about taking his acting career to the next level. He shared that he had to say goodbye to Drax after all this time as he is more keen to take other kinds of parts in order to be a 'respected actor'. The actor had to spend four hours in makeup to transform himself into Drax. He said, "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.”
This year, Dave will reunite with his castmates for James' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in May. Before that, he will be seen in M Night Shyamalan's psychological horror film Knock At The Cabin in February. The film also stars Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Rupert Grint. Later this year, he will also be seen in Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two where he plays a villain, Glossu Rabban.
