Dave Bautista wrestled with his role in Guardians of
the Galaxy. By Rick Bentle
Most actors in movies based on comic books can look through loads of material to get clues to playing their character. Professional wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista found little to help him understand Drax the Destroyer — the metaphor-challenged fighter in Guardians of the Galaxy.
“It was a little rough because there’s just not that much material. Also, Drax has changed so much over the years,” Bautista says of the character from the Marvel Comics universe. “What I was really looking for was a video reference and I found one very old animated series with Drax on it. But, basically, there was nothing.”
He ended up pulling bits and pieces from the script and relying on his acting coach, who just happened to be a fan of the comic book team that launched in 1969 in Marvel Super-Heroes No. 18. Drax, Peter Quill, Gamora, Rocket and Groot are the Guardians, a group of petty thieves who come together to save the universe.
One thing Bautista learned was that along with his imposing mountain-like physical presence, Drax is not the typical muscle-bound character. Aside from not understanding metaphors, he’s very intelligent. That’s not the typical role offered to someone out of the world of professional wrestling. Bautista loves playing such a smart character, but he understands when he gets offered roles that are more about brawn than brains.
“It is what it is. When you look a certain way, people perceive you a certain way. When you come from the wrestling world, they want to cast you as Bouncer No. 1 or Bouncer No. 2. I was trying to get away from that,” Bautista says.
Not only is Drax smart, he provides some of the best laughs in the movie. Bautista says the jokes — mostly based on the character’s literal take on metaphors — work because of his co-stars, particularly Chris Pratt as group leader Peter Quill. Much of the comedy was improvised by the two actors.
Guardians is the biggest role for Bautista outside a wrestling ring. The six-time world champion with the World Wrestling Entertainment previously appeared in the films The Man With the Iron Fists and Riddick (with Guardians co-star Vin Diesel) and the TV shows Chuck and Smallville.
Not only is this a bigger role, it is one of the best experiences of Bautista’s career because he had so much fun. Though, he had to spend four hours every morning in the makeup chair to create the look for the always shirtless Drax, who is covered in weird designs.
“It wasn’t that bad. I would zone out. I meditate,” Bautista says. “It really wasn’t so much the consecutive hours in the chair, but the consecutive days in the chair. That’s when it got rough. After five, six, seven days in a row being in the chair, I just wanted a day where I felt clean.” — The Fresno Bee/MCT
Jennifer calls it splits
Actress Jennifer Lawrence has reportedly broken up with her beau and actor Nicholas Hoult once again. The Academy Award-winning actress has split up with her longtime boyfriend again after rekindling their relationship in the summer of 2013. The couple has separated due to their conflicting work schedules, reports people.com. They met while co-starring in 2011 movie X-Men: First Class and split in 2013 before reuniting both off and on screen in X-Men: Days of Future Past. A source close to the pair said: “They spent a lot of time apart because of work and it was difficult on their relationship”. “The split was very amicable,” the source added. – IANS
Justin Theroux wants smaller house
Actor Justin Theroux feels uncomfortable in the Bel Air mansion he currently shares with fiancee Jennifer Aniston so wants to sell up and find a smaller place. The 42-year-old actor and his fiancee have met with estate agents to discuss selling their Chicago mansion, which they have spent around $3mn renovating since buying it less than two years ago, because he is used to more intimate properties after living in New York for so long.
“Justin is a New York native and is far more comfortable in a smaller space,” contactmusic.com quoted a source as saying. “The Bel Air mansion can feel more like a show home than somewhere they can relax together. It’s not officially listed as Jen’s got a property mediator sourcing potential buyers first. She wants to see if she can get a good return on it before placing it on the market.
“If that happens, she’s looking into buying a new penthouse in New York and keeping her Hollywood Hills property as an LA base,” the source added. The couple are said to already have their eyes on a potential new home, the $3mn Beverly Hills property they rented while their Bel Air mansion was being renovated. — IANS