Had to Work Really Hard to be Taken Seriously as Actor, Says Dave Bautista

“I didn’t leave wrestling to become a movie star, I left to be an actor. I’ve worked really hard to prove myself and earn the respect of my peers and audiences. It’s been a tough route. I’ve really pursued roles that are the actor’s pieces, and I’ve turned down a lot of roles that would have been better suited for me as an ex-wrestler.

“Those are the roles most people expected me to take, but I’ve chosen to go the unexpected route to prove myself as an actor. I feel like people expect less from a wrestler-turned-actor, but I’ve always wanted to be a serious actor,” the 51-year-old told Sports Illustrated magazine.

The Guardians of the Galaxy star credited his role as Sapper Morton in the 2017’s Blade Runner 2049 for changing people’s perception of him. “The small role I had in Blade Runner 2049, that’s the role that opened up so many doors for me as a performer. It helped strip away my physical appearance and offered me opportunities that relied on my acting,” he said.

Bautista said he wants to play “unpredictable” characters in his career. “I don’t want to be labelled, I don’t want to be predictable. I remember going into a very early audition for Guardians, and Sarah Finn, the casting director, said that (actor) Lee Pace could do anything.