Dave Bautista Never Wanted To Be “The Next Rock”

Though they’ve shared similar paths moving from wrestling to Hollywood, Dave Bautista says he never intended to follow in Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s footsteps.

After taking the world of professional wrestling by storm as The Rock, Dwayne Johnson made the move to Hollywood in the early 2000’s and has become the biggest box office star in the world. The star has spoken about how his wrestling past helped him in crafting his most recent role, the titular character in DC’s Black Adam.

Another former WWE Champion in Dave Bautista has also made the transition to Hollywood, finding success with roles such as Marvel’s Drax the Destroyer and serving as foe to Daniel Craig’s James Bond in Spectre.

His most recent role saw him opposite Daniel Craig once again in the Rian Johnson-helmed Glass Onion, a sequel to the acclaimed whodunnit Knives Out. In the movie, Dave Bautista plays the role of Duke Cody, a men’s rights advocate who makes a living streaming his controversial views on YouTube alongside his girlfriend. His role has been widely praised, with Rian Johnson calling him the “greatest wrestler-turned-actor ever.”

Speaking in an interview with GQ, the former Batista said that despite taking a similar path from wrestling to Hollywood, he never wanted to emulate Dwayne Johnson; instead, he wants to focus on being respected as an actor in his own right.

“I never wanted to be the next Rock. I just want to be a good f*cking actor. A respected actor.”

Continuing, Dave Bautista admitted that he does get nervous in his career, but he knows that he needs to to uncomfortable things in order to move forward.

“I’m afraid of things. I’m nervous about things. But I can force myself to do things that make me uncomfortable, because I know I’m not gonna get anywhere if I don’t. I may cringe after the fact, but I’m not going to let that fear hold me back.”