Dave Bautista, former WWE star and current actor, recently spoke with GQ Magazine about his decade-long portrayal of Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Bautista deemed his performance of the revenge-seeking character as “silly” and expressed his regret that Marvel had not further developed his backstory. Despite this, Bautista affirmed that the role had a major impact on his career.
“I had to pull over because I was crying so hard. I turned right back around and walked into my house shaking to tell my wife I had gotten the role, and we were both standing there freaking out,” Bautista said of the moment he learned he had made it. His life prior to that had been a roller coaster — wrestling with the WWE and then losing nearly everything once he left the ring to pursue acting.
Dave Bautista, known for his role as Drax in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies, has used this success to propel himself into other roles and further his development as an actor. Bautista stated that he is “obsessed” with the craft, comparing it to a puzzle he can’t figure out.
He further elaborated that, though rare, he experiences moments of “natural high” when he gets it right. However, Bautista has expressed that he feels as though he has taken Drax as far as he can and is ready to end the ride.
“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him. But there’s a relief [that it’s over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role,” he said. “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 has expressed disappointment in the lack of development for the character’s backstory. Though some references were made to Drax’s family, it was mainly to emphasize his thirst for revenge rather than to further explore the character.
Dave Bautista’s portrayal of Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is set to come to an end with the release of the third installment of “Guardians of the Galaxy” in early May 2023. Bautista had predicted this move in 2021.