Does Dave Bautista regret his time as Drax The Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy? While regret might not be the best word for it, the actor has opened up in a new interview with GQ about his excitement to move on from the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to more fulfilling roles.
“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him. But there’s a relief [that it’s over],” says Bautista. “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 is not the actor’s first time discussing his disinterest in what Marvel Studios did with his character. Back in 2021, Bautista said that Marvel “dropped the ball” when it came to doing right by Drax.
“I really wished they would have invested more in Drax, personally,” he said. “Because I think Drax has more of a story to tell. I think Drax has a really interesting backstory which they dropped the ball on. That’s no dig on Marvel. They had their slate; I know what they’re focused on; that’s what they have [it] slated out. But man, I think they really missed the ball on Drax. He has such a great backstory.”
But back to his GQ interview, Bautista says he wants good acting roles and doesn’t care about being the biggest star in the world. “Honestly, I could give a fuck [about being a movie star]. I don’t live a great big glamorous life. I live here in Tampa. I don’t care about the spotlight; I don’t care about fame. I just want to be a better actor. I want respect from my peers. I don’t need accolades—I really don’t, man. It’s about the experience, about knowing that I accomplished something.”
In Bautista’s next project, Knock At The Cabin, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the actor says he feels like he’s finally getting to stretch himself. “It’s by far the most I’ve ever spoken in a film—just huge pages of monologues. We were shooting on film, which is very expensive. And we were shooting with one camera, so you don’t have the luxury of edits. It’s your only opportunity—you need a perfect take. It’s a lot of pressure. I want to remember my dialogue, but not at the expense of losing the emotion of the scene,” says Bautista.
Dave Bautista has three films releasing this year; the aforementioned Knock at the Cabin opens in theaters on February 3rd, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 this May 5th. After that, his next film comes in the fall as he reunites with Blade Runner 2049 and Dune director Denis Villeneuve on Dune: Part Two.
“If I could be a number one [on the callsheet] with Denis, I would do it for fucking free,” he said. 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 and sees the performer that I want to be. That might be how I solve the puzzle.”
You can currently see Dave Bautista in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, streaming on Netflix.
Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will see the return of Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer), Bradley Cooper (Rocket Raccoon), Vin Diesel (Groot), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Sean Gunn (Kraglin), Sylvester Stallone (Stakar Ogord) and Elizabeth Debecki (Ayesha), alongside MCU newcomers Will Poulter (Dopesick) as Adam Warlock, Chukwudi Iwuji (Peacemaker) as the High Evolutionary, Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) as Cosmo the Spacedog, and Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad) and Nico Santos (Crazy Rich Asians) in as-yet-unrevealed roles.
