Conflicted and in search of vengeance, Drax the Destroyer’s sole mission at the outset of Guardians of the Galaxy is to avenge the death of his family. His family was killed by the villainous Kree radical Ronan and his tragedy fuels his rage. His impressive, menacing stature and attempts to kill Gamora leave audiences to question whether he is good or evil.
During a recent interview with actor, martial artist, and professional wrestler Dave Bautista, we quickly learn that Drax is not the “one-noted character” audiences think he’s going to be. Bautista actually relates more to his character than anyone would have imagined both physically and experientially. “I think when people see Drax, they automatically think that he’s gonna be the type of character that [is only] good for fighting and chopping people’s heads off and stuff like that.” Bautista hopes that audiences will look at Drax as a father and a husband, rather than simply a warrior. “I hope that people will see that all [of] his rage comes from heartbreak. He’s really just heartbroken over the loss of his family.”
As the story progresses, we find that Quill has deterred Drax from outing Gamora with a promise that she can bring Ronan to him. Thus the formation of the “guardians” is cultivated. While Bautista seems like the ideal person to play Drax, we learned that his affinity towards the role went deeper than the simple fact that he is a “nut job,” although admittedly that was definitely an attractive trait according to the former pro-wrestler. The character of Drax is “multi-layered” and Bautista liked that he has an “emotional range.” Taking on the role of Drax was also beneficial for his career. “I think people have a certain perception of me leaving wrestling…that they just saw me as ‘that’ guy…and I’m really not that guy at all.”
If you had an opportunity to see Guardians of the Galaxy over the weekend, you likely took note of the impressive makeup and costuming used to bring Marvel’s characters to life. Bautista spent about 4-5 1/2 hours in makeup each day. Beyond this artistic preparation, Bautista recalls that being athletic helped as he prepared for his role as Drax, but relied heavily on the stunt guys who offered advice and tips since this was still very different than anything he had done.
Currently on hiatus from his career as a professional wrestler, Bautista talked about the risks he took leaving wrestling for acting. “I knew that the role would change my career and change my life, but it was hard for me to leave wrestling because that was my bread and butter.” For ten years Bautista relied on his career as a professional wrestler and “it was scary leaving it behind…taking a chance on myself.” Bautista is currently working on a remake of the 1989 martial arts film Kickboxer but mentioned that he would like to take on more dialogue-driven projects. “I never set out to be an action star and I think most people think that I’ll lean that way because of my background in wrestling.” Bautista is a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, and Martin Scorsese and while he mentioned that he would still love to fight again, I anticipate we’re seeing the beginning of his career as an actor.
Guardians of the Galaxy surpassed box office predictions, making it the #1 film this past weekend. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend paying particular attention to Dave Bautista’s role as Drax!
Images: Marvel
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