Dave Bautista Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 interview

I had the pleasure of attending the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2  world premiere, which is where I saw Bautista for the first time. I watched him smile as he interviewed and wave to the crowd as he stood in front of a theater full of peers and fans. I had no idea that on the inside he was cringing. You see, he's not the “Hollywood type” and I don't mean that in a bad way. He just doesn't like to be the center of attention. He doesn't do it for the fame. Dave Bautista got real with us about all of this, the morning after the premiere, in our exclusive Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 interview.

“All this attention and the spotlight is very uncomfortable for me. When we’re walking down the red carpet and they’re saying, oh, this is great. And I’m like for me it’s not. I enjoy it. I don’t hate it, but at the same time it’s just overwhelming for me. And I think a lotta people have a hard time relating why that would be overwhelming, especially when they look at what I’ve done for a living, you know, with wrestling and everything being out there in the spotlight. I did it, 'cause I love it. I was passionate about it. That doesn’t mean I was always like super comfortable. I did it because I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone and pursue my dreams, which is terrifying.

I totally respect that about Dave Bautista! It's very encouraging to see someone step outside of his comfort zone and do what he loves. You can't be successful if you don't chase your dreams, my friends!

Bautista's honest reaction to Drax being the “funny guy”

Not everyone is going to be crazy about a role. Sometimes the script isn't exactly what they'd like it to be, but they still put the work in because they trust the creators. That's exactly what Dave Bautista did with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. 

“When I first read the script, I wasn’t crazy about it. This was my initial reaction. When I get a script I go over my dialogue first. So, I read over my dialogue and I was expecting them to go a different direction with Drax. I thought he was gonna be more of the destroyer. I thought he was gonna be a more comic book Drax and then I realized they were digging more into the funny bits. I don’t find myself funny at all, so when I was reading these lines I was like they’re not funny. 

And then the first day we did our table read, I realized it was hysterical. And then I had a completely different outlook on it as a whole. Yeah.”

Okay, we all gasped because Drax has the funniest role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. In fact, after watching this film I firmly decided that Drax was my favorite character, with Yondu as a close second. He's hilarious. I laughed so hard that I literally was on the verge of tears at times. The group of 24 other bloggers and I all blurted out how he was very funny in this role. We felt that he needed to know how well done he was. 

“Then I read the full script, and I thought, wow, this is really a great script! It’s deep. It’s emotional, but I still was a little bit disappointed about my part.”

He may have been disappointed but we weren't. Not one bit. After the premiere, we were all talking about how hilarious he was and I heard quite a few people mention how Drax was their new favorite character. I think it's safe to say that James Gunn did the character justice. You can still be a destroyer and be funny. I mean, Chris Pratt is a badass as Star-Lord and he's pretty damn hilarious.

(Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney) 

How did he feel about the film as a whole?

Now that we know how he feels about his part in the film, we need to know what he thought about the entire film. 

“I think it’s beautiful. I like it better than the first film. It’s weird. It’s one of those things I feel like the more and more we get into the film, the more I am sucked into it and there’s certain moments, I just sniffle up. I just get so emotionally invested in this film. I felt that the first one was fun and exciting and some parts were very emotional, but not like this one. I felt like I was just totally absorbed in this film.”

Me too, Dave, me too. I got all sorts of feels with Vol. 2. I mentioned in my Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 review, that I felt just as emotional as Mantis. 

Dave Bautista talks about his insecurities

Yes, he's a big, broad man with what appears to be loads of confidence. However, the reality is that he doesn't really like to see himself onscreen. It makes him very uncomfortable. 

“As far as watching myself on film, I cringe. I don’t like watching myself on film. It’s uncomfortable. And last night at the premiere, every time I was on the screen like and I knew I was going to say something, I put my head down and just tried to get through it.”

It's funny how different everyone is. I personally give me full attention to the film when Bautista is on. He's a true talent and definitely the most humble man you'll ever meet. Like I said, he's the complete opposite of Drax. 

While some actors see a character on the screen, Bautista still sees himself.