DAVE BAUTISTA

The Guardians star on zombie killing and making people cry…

How did you find the experience of making a Zack Snyder zombie film?

Let’s just shorten that to say “a Zack Snyder film”, because that was why I signed on. I probably would have said, “Another action guy? I couldn’t care less.” But because Zack is directing, I was like, “Hell yes, I’m in.” I’d wanted to work with him for years, and it’s really just so I can steal his shit [laughs]. I want to watch him work and learn from him.

How would you compare the experience to working with James Gunn or Denis Villeneuve?

James is a control freak! Which I don’t mind, because he’s a brilliant storyteller. And Denis, he has a vision, and he doesn’t want you to sway from that vision. Which is really helpful because he’s brought out some strong performances in me that I didn’t think I was capable of.

Has using your body to tell a story been an asset?

No, because I’ve tried to go the other route. I want to go against that and make everything much smaller and very subtle. I want that to be my strength. I want to be the guy who makes people cry.

Did you get to flex those dramatic muscles in this film?

There’s some pretty emotional beats in this film. And then there’s some cool action stuff, too, where I just kill zombies! I haven’t done a whole lot of action, if you think about it. Even in the Marvel stuff I’m known for saying dumb shit. I think it’s kind of cool.

Marvel are making a lot of Disney+ shows right now…

Honestly, if they offered me a series, I wouldn’t do it. Not a chance in hell would I do a TV series playing Drax. That’s a make-up nightmare. I would be miserable. It’s awful, so I’m not going to sign up for a TV series where I’m in that make-up every day.