Dave Bautista Says He Hates Being Compared to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and John Cena

Dave Bautista made one thing very clear during his interview with the Tampa Bay Times this week — when it comes to being compared to fellow wrestlers-turned-actors Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena, he wants no part of it.

“Do not compare me to The Rock or John Cena. Everyone does it,” Bautista said in the interview, adding that he “hates” the being grouped with those two. “Those guys are wrestlers who became movie stars. I’m … something else. I was a wrestler. Now, I’m an actor.”

Bautista clarified the comparison that while Rock is a great action movie star, he personally is looking for more character-driven roles.

“Rock was, in a way, a movie star before he was even a movie star. There is something about him that’s really special. I’d never take that away from him,” Bautista said. “Would I consider him a great actor? F— no.

Bautista’s acting career took off with his role as Drax The Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy back in 2014. Along with being a fan-favorite in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the former WWE Champion has starred in majored film franchises such as the James Bond film Spectre and Blade Runner 2049.

Along with his appearance as Drax in Avenger: Infinity War, Bautista starred in Hotel Artemis, Escape Plan 2: Hades, Final Score and Master Z: Ip Man Legacy in 2018. He stars in a number of films currently in post-production that are set to release in 2019, including Avengers: Endgame.

“I want good roles. I don’t care about Fast and Furious or Bumblebee. … That’s not the kind of stardom I want. … I want to be in Dune. I want to work with Denis Villeneuve. I want to work with Sam Mendes and Jodie Foster,” Bautista said. “I want to work with Academy Award winners. I’m proud to be a character actor. I want that respect and credibility and education.”

Bautista made his return to the pro wrestling world on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. The six-time world champion appeared in the closing moments of the show, dragging a camera man towards Ric Flair’s dressing room. He then pulled an unconscious Flair out into the hallway, looked directly into the camera and addressed his former friend Triple H.

“Hey Hunter, do I have your attention now? Huh?” he said, shouting the last line.

The Wrap reported on Tuesday that a match between Bautista (Batista) and Triple H is slotted for WrestleMania 35 on April 7.