Exclusive ‘Guardians of The Galaxy’ Interview: Dave Bautista Talks Drax, Vin Diesel and More

We have seen the brute and gentle giant character a million times. But “Guardians of the Galaxy” (in theaters August 1) is all about playing with expectations and giving a fresh spin to everything. It was a revelation to see someone like Dave Bautista, who just recently swapped wrestling for acting, delivering flawlessly all the nuances that make Drax the Destroyer such a relatable and powerful character.

I had a great time talking about that and much more with the 45-years-old American actor of Filipino descent. But before that, let me share a moment that illustrates his personality. The press junket took place inside Disney Studios in Burbank and the room that I was in waiting had a huge Pirates of the Caribbean skull and other movie related paraphernalia. When Bautista arrived, he said “Wow!” and respectfully asked one of the assistants if he was allowed to take pictures. Trust me, that’s a very humble and unusual thing to see a movie star doing.

Néstor Bentancor: You really surprised me in this movie. Did you know at the beginning that you had what was required to portray this complex character?

Dave Bautista: No, I didn’t. I went to the audition without having a script, just a description. The first audition was with a casting agent and I went with my acting coach, who is a big comic fan and was familiar with “The Guardians of The Galaxy,” so I already knew Drax’s back story. The second one was with James Gunn. I relied on his direction and I just put my emotional twist to it.

Is the audition process still hard for you?

Auditions are terrifying. They are like torture to me. You walk into a room to be judged, that’s worst thing in the world! I have been told that established actors also have a hard time auditioning.

So you spend years creating a tough guy image, and now James Gunn tells the world that you cried when he gave you the role…

Yeah. I built my physique before “Animal,” but I created that though guy persona in wrestling. That was a double edged sword because when I moved into acting I had to break that perception. That was a character, not who I am as a person. Right now I am actually trimmed down, because I want to get more roles. I want to fit and that it’s still a challenge.

How did you approach Drax?

I never thought about him as an alien warrior. Instead, a very loving father and husband that is suffering from loss. When you see pictures you see this intimidating and menacing killer, but the cool thing about Drax is that he has a soft side and a big heart. People think that he isn’t very smart, but he is intelligent. But he takes everything literally so sometimes, some things don’t make sense to him.

Could you enjoy your scenes while watching the film?

I saw it last night for the first time. I don’t like watching myself on films. I get very uncomfortable. Every time Drax was on screen I would think “Oh no, that look so bad!” That’s very common. I remember doing a scene with Billy Zane in “The Scorpion King 3,” and he wanted to do it again and again. He is a perfectionist and wasn’t happy with it. But as an actor you don’t have control over the final edit. I may think that there were better takes, but the most important thing is that Marvel is happy with my performance.

I am a big fan of “Riddick.” How important was Vin Diesel in your career? Did you guys talk about this project?

I am actually really excited about seeing him today because we haven’t done so since we promoted “Riddick.” I always make people aware of the fact that he was very beneficial to my career. “Riddick” was a very high profile project and I really needed that. He was very gracious with me from the very first day that I showed up on set. He often pulled me aside to give me feedback and offer advice. That was really cool because Riddick is his baby. He encouraged me to add my own twist to the script, to be a little more rebellious.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” opens in theaters on August 1.

“From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team—the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits-Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand-with the galaxy’s fate in the balance. Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which first appeared in comic books in Marvel Super-Heroes, Issue #18 (Jan. 1969), stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, with John C. Reilly, Glenn Close as Nova Prime Rael and Benicio del Toro as The Collector.”