Dave Bautista
I was a poor kid. I came from nothing. We didn't have any money; a lot of times we didn't have any food, and now, all of a sudden, I'm a superhero in a Marvel movie? Talk about the American dream, man - I'm living it.Collection: Money
I'm still learning and trying to become a better actor. I still feel insecurity.
I had been struggling to get roles in Hollywood for three and a half years after leaving the WWE. Then I finally got an agent - the agent I have now. He's a great guy, but he turned me down three times before he even decided to take me on a as a client.
I'm not a big guy. I'm not a menacing guy. I'm not an intimidating guy. I may look that way, but just spend two seconds talking to me, and you know that's not who I am - not as a person, as a character. It's not who I intend to be.
I don't watch my playbacks because I hate to see myself act.
Know your lines; otherwise, have an open mind because you want to get lost in the moment. When you have talented actors and directors to work with, then it's pretty easy to do.
The worst injury I have ever suffered in the ring was a torn triceps; they had to take a piece of my hamstring to repair the tear. It was brutal; I was out for 6 months.
My first acting lessons were Shakespeare. The first time I ever started working with a coach was doing scenes from 'Measure for Measure,' which were tough dramatic scenes. And then 'Taming of the Shrew,' which required comedic timing. And that's the kind of stuff I love.
It was always one of my favorite things, the action figures, the video games, when I was with WWE, even though I'm not a gamer. I would literally go out and buy the games just so I could play myself.
People look at me, and they have a certain perception, and they slap a label on me. The guy you saw in a wrestling ring is not who I am.
Just getting auditions was rough. But also just learning how to act - when I did my first role, in a film I did which was a favour to a friend, I realised I was really bad at it.
For some reason, I'm the guy people love to hate, which I think is weird. People who know me find that very strange, but for some reason, I am. I don't mind being that guy - I have fun with it.
Especially, I don't want to ever be compared to The Rock because I'd be the poor man's version of The Rock. I'm just not him; it's not who I am as a person or as a performer. The Rock's very big and bold, and I'm not.
You do take a beating in professional wrestling. But I love it.
I look like a gorilla, just the way I'm built.
I'm a professional wrestler at heart, and I miss it.
Honestly, I don't aspire to be a huge movie star. I really just fell in love with acting... Everything I do on-screen is very subtle.
I was actually sitting on stage at a press conference one day, and I totally lost touch with reality. I just thought to myself: 'Vin Diesel is sitting next to me, and Benicio Del Toro's on the other side. This is weird, man.'
For some reason, I struggle seeing myself as a leading man.
I don't want to intimidate people. There's nothing bullyish about me, you know. If there's anybody who's anti-bully, it's me.
Drax isn't your average stereotypical soldier/warrior/musclehead. He actually has some depth. It was a character that I wanted to play, not only because I love acting so much, but also, I needed to play to get people to actually take me seriously as an actor and get away from the pro wrestling label.
Yes, I am physical but never go looking for fights. I have been in my share of them but never looked for them.
I was an amateur wrestler, which I loved. It was my passion, but I started really late; I was a junior in high school when I began.
I never excelled at one sport or had a very strong passion for anything other than wrestling and bodybuilding.
It's a weird thing... putting your emotions out there for everybody to see while filming. I think it puts you in a kind of vulnerable state.
I internalize everything, keep everything inside. I'm not used to spilling my guts, and when you have to do that on film to make a point, it's hard. It's rough. I don't think it's as easy as people think.
Nothing can motivate me any more than I'm already motivated. It just can't happen. Me being motivated was never a factor. Never.
'Smallville' gig was another one of those things I got through WWE. At that point, I had absolutely no aspirations to pursue acting.
I'm particular about the projects that I've chosen. Each one of them, I've taken a step up, like climbing a ladder. Before, it was baby-steps, up to 'Riddick.' Then I took this huge leap onto 'Guardians!' It was such a higher level, this huge project which originally I never thought I'd have a chance in hell of getting.
Sometimes it's hard to get people to take me seriously as an actor when they just see me as this WWE muscle head.
The pressure is always stepping on stage with actors who are just so well-established. It's a scary thing. I haven't been around the block that many times, especially not on big projects. Dialogue makes things easier. When you start bouncing dialogue off of other actors, it becomes comfortable; it becomes conversational.
I'm not afraid to go up to people and pick their brains and ask for advice. To me, that's how you get better. That's how I've gotten better at everything I've ever done. Don't be too proud to ask for help.Collection: People
If you're pursuing something that you love and you're learning something new, every day, that's the key to youth [staying young].Collection: Learning Something New
Money Talks. Chocolate Sings.Collection: Chocolate
I'm a poor kid from the streets. What I've been able to achieve has really just been through hard work and not letting anyone tell me that I couldn't do something. I always try to encourage people to just pursue your dreams.Collection: Dream
Nothing can motivate me any more than I'm motivated.Collection: Motivated
I don't think there's a certain part of a character I take with me. There's a certain part of me I leave with each character, though.Collection: Character
Basketballs dont hold grudges!Collection: Funny
I didn't want to be a movie star, I wanted to be an actor. Because acting is what I fell in love with, and acting is what is still challenging for me.Collection: Stars
It's much easier when you have your co-workers who are just, they're there in the moment. If you were out of the moment, you would feel odd.Collection: Odd
Kissing babies and hugging fat girls.Collection: Funny
I'm creating my niche. My niche is going to be "shirtless guy."Collection: Creating
I spent my whole life being very shy and introverted and I kind of found my release and therapy in the gym. I became this big, menacing physical stature of a man but internally I'm still kind of insecure. Warm, fuzzy and gooey.Collection: Insecure
If I could get myself to a place where I felt secure and I wouldn't have to kind of worry about money and I know my family would be secure, then I would leave the big studios so I could continue to make smaller films, and hopefully get to direct a few of them, too.Collection: Worry
I'm not a leading man. I'm a character actor. That's what I want to be.Collection: Character
I'm more a fan of old-school films with really interesting stories and good performances. That's what I'd like to do.Collection: Old School
It's never boring in makeup.Collection: Makeup
In wrestling there are so many people inside and outside the ring, and it's so live, and it's this whole adrenaline thing. Whereas you move it into this more intimate thing, everything gets all quiet, someone says action, and you have to say the lines and make the words your own. It couldn't be any more different and it's weird sometimes trying to explain that to people. When I tell people that acting is much more terrifying to me than going out in front of ten thousand people, they don't quite believe it because for some reason that intimacy is just terrifying to me.Collection: Moving
I really feel like indie films are where I learn to be a better actor, especially because they always give you a bit more freedom to collaborate.Collection: Giving
I love playing different characters. I just do. I want to play even more quirky and interesting characters and just something that people wouldn't automatically think that I would be. I want to go against the grain a bit and I'm hoping people will be open-minded enough to cast me in stuff that's going against the grain.Collection: Character