Dave Bautista Says His Acting Goal Wasn’t To Be The Next Dwayne Johnson

In an interview with GQ, Dave Bautista spoke about his transition from wrestling to acting and what his goals were when he became an actor. He has three movies this year, including Knock at the Cabin, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Dune: Part Two. Here are the highlights:

Dave Bautista on his goals as an actor: “I never wanted to be the next Rock. I just want to be a good fucking actor. A respected actor.”

On his self-doubt: “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.”

On not getting opportunities in WWE: “John Cena and I were both headlining shows. I was [the face of] SmackDown. He was Raw. But he was being used in [WWE-produced] films and television commercials and magazines, and I was just headlining shows. In fact, there was one point where he was off making a film and I was headlining both sets of shows and the pay-per-views. It was just a feeling of, ‘We’re not getting equal opportunities.’”

On doing more in Knock at the Cabin: “It’s by far the most I’ve ever spoken in a film. Just huge pages of monologues. We were shooting on film, which is very expensive. And we were shooting with one camera, so you don’t have the luxury of edits. It’s your only opportunity—you need a perfect take. It’s a lot of pressure. I want to remember my dialogue, but not at the expense of losing the emotion of the scene.”