Dave Bautista doesn't want to be the next Rock, just a 'good f***ing actor'

Dave Bautista has been doing the press rounds lately in support of his new role in Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story. If you haven’t yet seen it, please put it at the top of your ‘To Watch’ list. It’s so good.

In the film, Bautista plays Duke Cody - a video game streamer turned men’s rights activist - and does so with pitch-perfect comedic timing. The film has garnered an impressive rating over on Metacritic, plus there’s a fun Among Us reference in one of the opening scenes. In recent days, Bautista spoke out about how he was relieved to have put his role as Drax in the MCU behind him, in order to focus on “more dramatic stuff”. In fact, the actor has since added that he doesn’t want to be the next Rock - he wants to be a “good f***ing actor.”

Check out the trailer for Glass Onion below.

In an interview with GQ, Bautista explained, “I never wanted to be the next Rock. I just want to be a good f***king actor. A respected actor.” This reads as a pretty major dig at Dwayne Johnson but I think what Bautista is trying to get across is that he’s hoping to opt for more dramatic roles, more so than blockbuster action hero types - like those Johnson usually takes on.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will see Bautista portray Drax for the final time. The wrestler-turned-actor previously said of the film, “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. 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.” Glass Onion director Rian Johnson certainly has belief in the actor.

Johnson previously deemed Bautista to be the greatest wrestler-turned-actor ever. He told The Atlantic, “I’ve been a very big fan of his dramatic chops as an actor.” With upcoming appearances in M. Night Shyalaman’s A Knock at the Cabin and Dune: Part Two, Bautista’s career seems to be going from strength to strength.