Dave Batista has become a star in both wrestling and in Hollywood, but the inspiration for his movie career didn’t come from The Rock.
After leaving WWE in 2010, the Animal turned to acting and would star in multiple straight-to-DVD projects.
In 2014, Batista’s big break would come as Drax the Destroyer, one of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
A Respected Actor
After his breakout role as Drax, other major franchises would work with Animal, including the James Bond series (Spectre, 2015) and Blade Runner (Blade Runner 2049, 2017).
Of course, The Rock is arguably the most successful wrestler to make their name in acting, but that didn’t aspire the Animal, as he told GQ Magazine.
“I never wanted to be the next Rock. I just want to be a good f***ing actor. A respected actor.”
Dave Batista.
Batista’s latest project, Glass Onion, a sequel to Knives Out (2019) landed on Netflix last month after a limited theatrical release.
The Greatest?
While The Rock has plenty of blockbusters to his name, the Brahma Bull has also had his fair share of flops.
Sitting down with The Atlantic last month, Glass Onion’s director Rian Johnson was in complete agreement when asked if Batista is the greatest wrestler to become an actor.
“I absolutely 100 percent agree [that Batista is the greatest wrestler-to-actor ever.] And I think somebody like Paul Thomas Anderson is going to give him a real part and is going to look like a genius.
Rian Johnson.
Johnson’s respect for Batista is a two-way street, with the former WWE World Champion sharing positive posts about the director on social media, and gifting him a World Heavyweight Championship on the set of Glass Onion.
