With the premiere of Dune fast approaching, Dave Bautista is making the interview rounds and the former wrestler has been opening up about his desire to be a big actor in Hollywood, but not the way you think. Dune will mark Bautista’s second collaboration with director Denis Villeneuve after appearing in Blade Runner 2049, where he flipped the script on being the muscle-bound heavy with a quiet, soulful performance. Until it wasn’t.
While sitting down with Men’s Health, Bautista revealed some early mistakes in his career, like blowing through cash as quickly as he earned it.
“I wasted all that money,” Bautista said. “And I could’ve done a lot of good things with that money. I could’ve helped people; I could’ve helped animals. But honestly, I was miserable and I was just trying to buy happiness.”
Fortunately, his career continued to grow, and with it, the opportunity to continue to distance himself from other “wrestlers-turned-actors” like John Cena and The Rock, a topic Bautista has grown increasingly vocal about. Via Men’s Health:
“I realize what I look like. I joke and say I look like I got out of prison yesterday. But I do. I’m very aware of that. So that’s why I’ll take an extra minute with somebody to show them I’m just not that guy. I may look like that guy, but I’m not that guy.”
When he finishes work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Bautista has made it clear that his time with the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be over, and from the sound of things, the actor is dead set on not being trapped in action roles like Cena and The Rock. Instead, Bautista wants to make thoughtful, subtle appearances that show his range.
“I want to be that guy that makes people cry, who makes people think, who inspires people,” he told JoBlo back in April. “I want to be a dramatic actor. I just love it. I love acting.”
(Via Men’s Health)