Dave Bautista Admits He Used To Be Embarrassed By His Own Bad Acting

Former WWE wrestler Dave Bautista has made a successful transition from being that guy with the tribal sun belly button tattoo who threw a hissy fit and bailed to a pretty well-respected actor. Everyone fell in love with him as the overly-literal Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, though it’s probably because the make-up covered up his torso. Now he’s leaving his direct-to-DVD career in the dust as a villain in the new James Bond film. Spectre, the latest installment in the Bond franchise, sees Bautista as Mr. Hinx, a role he accepted only if the character was “badass.”

Via the Latin Post:

I think the cool thing is that he was going to be categorized as a henchman. And my fear was always that I didn’t like being cast as a muscle head. So two questions I asked [Director Sam Mendes] at that meeting was if Hinx was a badass. Then I asked if he was intelligent and he said “Absolutely.”

I take jobs based on characters. I noticed that conditions are better on bigger budget films, but I don’t mind roughing it once in a while if the quality of the material is there. I can get used to some disorganized stuff. I was with WWE and everything was always disorganized there.

Bautista goes on to admit that his transition to film acting was a rocky road. I mean, a bit part in a Werner Herzog film is pretty great, but uh… you know… then there were the other ones.

The first film I ever did, I was with WWE and it was a favor to a friend. When I did it, I realized I was a horrible actor. It pissed me off because I left feeling embarrassed. It made me want to prove myself and get better so I could get a second chance.

Well, I guess as long as he knows it, too.

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