6’5, 270 pound ex WWE wrestler and MMA fighter, Dave Bautista, came walking into the room. He was a sweetheart of a gentle giant!
My first question was about his physique. I asked how long he spent in the gym! I was surprised by his answer, he said he workouts all the time, but not necessarily in the gym. He does a lot of martial arts and cycling. But on the way into the Disney lot he said he did see a gym and ask if he could get a chance to workout!
We also asked if his WWE training helped him in this role:
“No, it’s weird because it’s so different. I guess, being athletic helped me a little bit. I picked up on stuff kinda easy. But still, it’s just so different from anything that I’d ever done. We had really good stunt guys and relied on them for their advice, and they showed me how to do stuff, and I would do it, I’d mess it up and they’d say, well, try it this way if it’s easier. And I’d say no, I like the way you did it because it looks cool that way. So just show me how to do it that way, and I’d just do it and do it until I picked up on it.” Fighting in the movies is a whole different skill set than the WWE wrestling we see on TV!
And as with Zoe Saldana, we had to ask about the make-up. 4 hours to put on and 1 1/2 to take off. That in itself is exhausting!
We all wanted to know what had attracted Dave to the role of Drax:
“I’ve been wanting to do a role that wasn’t one noted. You know, it’s multi-layered, so a character with a little bit of an emotional range, you know, which is something that I needed for my career, like, really bad because I think people have a certain perception of me leaving wrestling that they just saw me as that guy, and I’m really not that guy at all.” Drax is a warrior and a fighter. But more than that, Drax was a husband and a dad, he wanted revenge for the sake of the family he lost. This was the emotional side of the character that Dave wanted to work on, and he did an excellent job!
Dave’s audition process lasted over 3 months. Clearly the chemistry he has with Chris shows that he was the perfect choice!
And my favorite part of the interview was when Dave shared how he got tricked into dancing! This part is not in the film, but we did tell the Director later that it must be a DVD extra when released! Basically there was supposed to be a dance off between Star-Lord and Ronin, and then the finger got pointed at Dave who was not scripted to dance! “I could hear James laughing, and he starts saying, okay background- extras, start dancing, and literally, it turned into, like, three hundred people. And it was like, okay, crew, dance, and then get everybody just dancing, so it literally turned into this big rave. It was hysterical.” We have to see that!
To sum it up, you might expect a brute when you go to the movie, but that is not what you will get with Drax: “I think when people see Drax, they automatically think that he’s gonna be a kind of one-noted character who is the type of character, that all he’s good for is fighting and chopping people’s heads off, and the way I approached the character was never really looking at Drax as a warrior, but more as a father and a husband. And I think that, I hope that people will see that that’s basically who he is and all his rage just comes from heartbreak, and not so much because he’s just hell bent on cutting people’s heads off, you know? He’s really just heartbroken over the loss of his family.” And that’s how Dave Bautista made this a terrific multi dimensional role.
Lastly, we were all taken by surprise by Mr. Bautista. At the end of the interview his Facebook page was checked, and it turned out he had been having is PR people take pictures of our interview and posted them immediately to his wall for his over 5 1/2 Million followers. That was a first. I will never forget his generosity:
Disclosure: Disney invited me on this press trip and paid all of my expenses. No other compensation was received. All opinions are always 100% my own and honest.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Open Now!
Follow Along:
Marvel.com/Guardians
Facebook
Twitter (#GuardiansOfTheGalaxy)
Pinterest
Youtube
This sounds like such a fun movie. How cool that you got to go to that awesome event!
I was so afraid that this role was going to be either CGI or enhanced. I LOVE that they used makeup and artistry to create him! As a makeup artist myself, I’m proud!
You always get the fun gigs! I am already planning to book a babysitter so I can head to the theaters with my hubby this weekend!
My boys went to see it this weekend the hubs fell asleep but my son loved it. All that makeup though I don’t know if I could do it lol
I can’t believe that his character was really so much makeup and less of the computer effects. Also, Dave Bautista is such a big guy!
I love his attitude about learning how to do his stunts in the way they’d look coolest. He seems like a great guy.
Great post.I am really looking forward to seeing this as it looks so good.
Guardians of the galaxy did awesome at the box office. I can’t wait to go see it. Looks like a funn interview!
I have never heard of Dave Bautista either. I really want to see this movie – it looks so good!
Great interview.Looks like a great event
I always love to see interviews of current or former wrestlers. It’s so interesting to see behind the persona that they put forward while performing in the ring.
We are big Dave Bautista fans in this house. When we had cable we watched a lot of wrestling.
I love the trailer for the Guardians of the Galaxy movie. I did not know Dave Bautista was playing the character Drax. Cannot wait to see it.
This movie looks like so much fun. I can’t wait to see it.
I can’t wait to see this movie. I am hoping I can go this weekend. I think my new bf would be into it.
So cool that you got to meet him and he was so interesting. I love that he brings so much depth to his character.
The events that bloggers get to go to blow my mind! I am just a tad bit jealous. 🙂
What a fun interview with Dave Bautista! He was so great playing Drax!
That looks like it was such a fun event. I love to read the interviews!
I can’t wait to see this movie, and Drax is the character I am most excited about! I am super excited!
He was such a gentle giant. He was the perfect guy to play Drax. I also could not believe that he is not in the gym 24 7.
That is one handsome man. This sounds like such a fun movie!
I had never heard of this actor/wrestler until this movie. Interesting information and thanks for sharing! I didn’t realize the audition process could take so long!
My son and his dad went and saw the movie on opening day and loved it! I can’t wait to see it myself!
4 hours of makeup. That is commitment. I don’t know if I could do that. I bet my boys will enjoy the movie.
That’s awesome that he kept at the stunts until he mastered them. And I agree that much time getting into makeup would be exhausting. I know it’s all going to pay off tough, this looks like a great movie to be a part of… definitely!
I cant wait to see this movie! I’ve heard so many great things about it.
That dude is huge. What a neat opportunity. I need to be having as much fun as you!
OH what an experience, I cannot wait to see this film now that you all keep talking about it. This dude looks pretty hot, no joke! Loved reading this, Mitch 🙂
What an awesome experience. One of my friends would be star struck meeting Dave Bautista.
That really was a star-studded event! He’s easy on the eyes, as Batista – not Drax lol.
I was a fan of his back when he was with the WWE. I hope his acting career takes off 🙂
Wow what a difference some makeup makes! I can’t wait to see this movie
I am in awe! Too cool! You have the perfect connection with Disney!! Love it!
I am glad he is not a one dimensional character. I am going this week to see the movie. It looks fantastic and I am enjoying your interviews. I feel very prepared to enjoy the movie with all of the extra character information.
He is awesome for sure! I can’t wait to see this flick.
Must have been such a cool experience. He looks wicked scary in the movie!!
I honestly haven’t heard of this actor before now. He sure has it in all the right places
I have never heard of him before, but he sounds like an interesting guy. Can’t wait to see how well he does with the character when I get to see the movie!
I had never heard of him, but man he is handsome… without all the make-up. Can’t wait to check out the movie!
He will be the gentle giant for me! Such a nice guy!
Sounds like a great movie and there is so much buzz around it. It did fantastic at the box office last week.
I’m not surprised his makeup took four hours. It’s seriously an intense look~!
This movie looks fantastic! My whole family wants to see it!
Great interview! Looks like you had a blast.
My family has been eagerly awaiting this! I’m taking back these tidbits.
I’ve seen a lot of advertisements for this movie. I’m looking forward to seeing it.
What a fun time! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!
Oh I bet he wasn’t bad to look at during that interview. Loved your post!
I think its awesome you got to interview Dave Bautista aka Drax. My boys loved this movie and I did as well. Best movie of the summer for my family
This looks like such a great movie! So cool that you got to interview him!
I have a secret crush on him! I can’t wait to see the movie with my husband!
My husband has been begging me to go see this. Now after seeing this, i think I may have to let him win on this one 🙂
I like articles like this one. I like hearing stories from the people who create the art. It is so interesting to read the back stories.
He is the main reason my wanted to see the movie. Thank you for sharing!
He’s definitely come a long way from being a wrestler and Drax. He’s starring opposite Daniel Craig in the latest James Bond movie. I can’t wait to see him portray a villain in tux or leather jacket, and not half-naked as he was in Scorpion King.