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.
Dave Bautista
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.
I look like a gorilla, just the way I'm built.
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 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 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 don't watch my playbacks because I hate to see myself act.
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.
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.
Yes, I am physical but never go looking for fights. I have been in my share of them but never looked for them.
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.
'Smallville' gig was another one of those things I got through WWE. At that point, I had absolutely no aspirations to pursue acting.
I never excelled at one sport or had a very strong passion for anything other than wrestling and bodybuilding.
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.
Sometimes it's hard to get people to take me seriously as an actor when they just see me as this WWE muscle head.
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.
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.
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.
You do take a beating in professional wrestling. But I love it.
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.
I'm a professional wrestler at heart, and I miss it.
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.
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.
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.
I'm still learning and trying to become a better actor. I still feel insecurity.
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.
