“Guardians of the Galaxy” star Dave Bautista is ready to move on from playing the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The former wrestler, 53, recently admitted to GQ how the experience of embodying the musclebound superhero across five full-length movies — plus a recent streaming holiday special — has taken a toll on him.
“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him,” the Washington D.C. native first declared. “But there’s a relief [that it’s over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role.”
The “Dune” actor — who can also be seen in Daniel Craig’s new Netflix hit movie “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” — specifically added that preparation for filming was a lot to take for what he called a “silly” role.
“The makeup process was beating me down,” he said. “And I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy — it’s a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff.”
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” — which is set to hit theaters this May — will be the last time Bautista portrays Drax.
Marvel actor Dave Bautista is getting real about his experiences playing the “Guardians of the Galaxy” character Drax.WireImage; Marvel
Dave Bautista was cast as Drax the Destroyer in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.”Marvel
He previously told IGN in 2021 that he was bowing out after the third film in the sci-fi comedy franchise.
“I don’t know what the script of the third film is, to be honest with you,” he said at the time. “There was a script years ago that obviously is going to have to change because the whole direction of the Marvel universe has changed.”
He also said that “there were talks” about doing a spin-off film because director James Gunn once had the idea for one centered around Drax and costar Pom Klementieff’s empathic Mantis.
“I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy — it’s a silly performance,” he said.Mike Marsland/WireImage
“It was really because it was James Gunn’s idea. He really wanted to do a Drax and Mantis film. He laid it out to me,” father-of-three Bautista said. “I thought it was such a brilliant idea, but I haven’t heard any follow-up from the studio. I don’t think they’re very interested, or it doesn’t fit into the way they have things mapped out.”
With that reveal, though, he effectively shut down appearing as the character again.
“[‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’] is probably going to be the end of Drax,” Bautista explained.
Karen Gillan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista in 2017’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.”null
Bautista can next be seen in Netflix’s “Glass Onion,” “Dune: Part Two” and M. Night Shyamalan’s horror mystery “Knock at the Cabin.”
Elsewhere in the “GQ” profile, Bautista claimed he doesn’t “give a f- -k” about being a movie star.
“I don’t live a great big glamorous life. I live here in Tampa. I don’t care about the spotlight, I don’t care about fame,” he confessed. “I just want to be a better actor. I want respect from my peers. I don’t need accolades — I really don’t, man. It’s about the experience, about knowing that I accomplished something.”
