Dune has finally arrived and lived up to the hype, as it has exceeded box office expectations. And of course, fans are loving it. The sci-fi epic is one of if not the biggest movie of the year, with an all-star cast and some of the most incredible special effects you’ll see in a film all year. Dave Bautista, who plays the villainous Glossu Rabban, delivered a particularly intimidating and ominous performance and looked right at home in the movie. Now, the actor has explained how his new role was a “blessing” after years of playing Guardians of The Galaxy’s Drax the Destroyer.
Because he’s been promoting the movie, the wrestler-turned-actor has been discussing his role in the sci-fi flick quite a bit lately, particularly his experience working with director Denis Villeneuve. At this point in his career, the star has pretty much become synonymous with his Guardians role but, here, we see him in a vastly different light. On that note, the actor explained to ABC News how his role in Villeneuve’s film was a fantastic opportunity for him as a performer, saying:
The thing with this character was it just gave me an opportunity to showcase a different type of performance. And that’s what I really love about working with [director Denis Villeneuve], I get an opportunity to show myself as a performer in a different light. … I’m not just a guy in Guardians [of the Galaxy] walking around shirtless and saying stupid shit. [The role] really just gives me the opportunity to just play these like really, really deep characters. So that’s a blessing.
Dave Bautista cleared relished the chance to work with the acclaimed director, in a role that is such a departure from what he has primarily been doing for the past decade. There’s a lot that can be said about Glossu Rabban, who is the nephew and right hand of Barron Harkonnen, played by Stellan Skarsgård (who Bautista fanned out about while filming). Most would probably agree when Bautista says the movie gave him the chance to play something completely different from the aloof and comedic Drax. His performance in this film should remind everyone just how talented and multifaceted he can be.
The actor previously worked with Denis Villeneuve on 2017’s Blade Runner 2049, in which he gave another performance that showed off his range. With a Dune sequel coming sometime in 2023, he’ll surely have an even more prominent role, and I can’t wait to see him play more of the bad guy.
Earlier this year, Dave Bautista spoke about his future as Drax in the MCU, saying that after Guardians 3, he probably won’t be returning to the character. Bautista has also opened up about his dissatisfaction with how Marvel handled Drax. He believes the character has been mostly relegated to a comic relief and that his backstory has not been explored as much as it could be.
Guardians 3 might be the last time we see the fan-favorite star in the MCU, but he isn’t leaving Hollywood. He continues to be in high demand and has a plethora of upcoming roles, one of which might be a buddy cop movie with his Dune co-star, Jason Momoa. It’ll be exciting to see what he does next but, in the meantime, you can check out his work in Dune by seeing the film in theaters or streaming it on HBO Max.