Dave Bautista Reveals Difficulties Playing 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' Role: 'Wasn't All Pleasant'

Dave Bautista bids farewell to his "Guardians of the Galaxy" role as Drax the Destroyer, but he feels "relief" rather than disappointment.

In an interview with GQ, the 53-year-old former WWE wrestler opened up about his departure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. He claimed that playing Drax wasn't the best experience and that moving on from "Guardians" was a decision he had to make to reach the next level of his acting career.

"I'm so grateful for Drax. I love him," Bautista said. "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."

Bautista revealed that he's hoping for another chance to work closely with Denis Villeneuve, who directed him on "Blade Runner 2049" and both "Dune" films, in the near future.

"If I could be a number one [on the call sheet] with Denis, I would do it for f—king free," he excitedly shared.

He continued, "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."

In May 2021, Bautista made the headlines after announcing that "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3," which will be released later this year, will be the last time fans will see him as the intergalactic warrior Drax, Insider reported.

He appeared in a total of six Marvel films as Drax: three "Guardians" films, two "Avengers" installments and "Thor: Love & Thunder." Bautista also played the character one final time in a "Guardians" Christmas special on Disney+ in 2022.

Bautista has also appeared in several other projects in recent years, including "Blade Runner 2049" alongside Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, "Dune" with Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet and Jason Momoa, and the newly released "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" alongside Daniel Craig.

In February, Bautista will be seen in M. Night Shyamalan's new mystery-horror film "Knock at the Cabin," in which the actor said he'll have the most lines he's ever had in a movie role.

"It's by far the most I've ever spoken in a film," he said. "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."

Although the experience may be new to the actor, director Shyamalan praised Bautista for his talent, describing it as a "revelatory thing."

Meanwhile, "Glass Onion" director Rian Johnson believed that the emerging actor was destined to go further in his career, saying, "This anomaly of a person that looks like that and can perform at that level. I keep telling all my filmmaker friends that someone is going to give Dave a real dramatic lead role in a movie, and they're going to look like a genius."

Bautista now aspires to become a "better" actor who would be respected in the industry and to become known for more than just one role.

"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," he said in his interview with GQ.