Dave Bautista Addresses Acting Comparisons To The Rock

For many years, Dave Bautista's decision to turn his sights away from the wrestling ring and onto Hollywood led to endless comparisons to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. But in a new GQ story about the former WWE Champion's unexpected transition into Hollywood's most muscular thespian, Bautista admits he never intended on following in Rock's footsteps.

"I never wanted to be the next Rock," Bautista told the magazine. "I just want to be a good f***ing actor. A respected actor." Much like his early years trying to break into the world of professional wrestling, the former WWE champion toiled over his ability to become a lauded actor at first. But Bautista told GQ that after years of being "picky and choosy" about which roles he'd take, hoping to avoid getting immediately typecast as an action star, he was finally cast as Drax the Destroyer in Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Guardians of the Galaxy" series.

He's gone on to land several roles leaning more towards drama than action, including Glossu Rabban in the ongoing "Dune" series and Duke Cody in Rian Johnson's latest film, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," which recently premiered on Netflix. In 2023, Bautista is poised for the biggest year of his career, with appearances in the final "Guardians" movie, "Dune: Part Two," and M. Night Shyamalan's "Knock at the Cabin." The longtime WWE star said he doesn't "care about fame" and just wants "to be a better actor." "I want respect from my peers," he told GQ.  And he's been slowly earning it, according to the magazine's profile, which has several instances of actors and directors in awe of Bautista's performances.