Dave Bautista Explains How He Joined Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead on The Tonight Show

Dave Bautista shared some details on how he joined Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead cast. The fan-favorite talked to Jimmy Fallon about the long road to the zombie action flick on The Tonight Show. Bautista talked about his ascent as an actor and the struggles he had with people taking him completely seriously. That physique and his past as a WWE Superstar can be hard sells sometimes. But, after all these projects, he’s a legit action draw at this point. The Guardian of the Galaxy is also branching out to drama work as well. He’s completely dedicated to chasing roles that he wants to do rather than whatever is popular. Check out what he had to say.

“Originally, I wanted to do this other film with Zach, and I ran into his agent at a party,” Bautista began. “And he told me the movie wasn’t going anywhere, but he said Zach’s next film is ‘Army of the Dead,’ and it;s like a zombie heist. And I was like, ‘Oh, it sounds great, but not for me. I just really had a chip on my shoulder to prove myself as an actor. And then it came back around, and Zach actually asked me to read the script. And he said he was interested in me playing the lead. And I said, ‘Man, this is really not what I thought it was.’”

“And so, I read the script and I was like, ‘Man, this character is great. Because he’s not your predictable kind of action hero,’” he observed. “He’s got some depth to him, some heart, and some emotion. And it really was kind of a redemption story, which is what I wanted. So, I got to be a tough guy, bad-ass. But I also got to be, like, a father looking to redeem himself with his daughter.”

Snyder actually joined IMDB’s Movies That Changed My Life to talk about getting the big fella on board.

“Dave, I’d been a fan of his and I wanted to work with him. And he didn’t want to do it, actually,” Snyder said. “I called him– I said, ‘Dave, you want to do this zombie movie?’ He was like, ‘No, I’m not really– no, I don’t think so.’ But I wasn’t finished. ‘It’s got a lot of heart.’ And he was like, ‘Wait a minute. What do you mean?’ So literally, he read the script, and he called me back immediately, and he said, ‘OK, I didn’t realize– I didn’t know.’ And I said, ‘It’s OK. It’s OK.”

“Then, the rest of them– you know, look, I had this idea that, for one, the movie takes place in the Southwest of America. So there’s a huge Latino influence, culturally,” he added. “So you know, I just wanted that influence to be really strong in the film. They all do an amazing job in the movie, really represent amazingly well and they’re incredible. They’re also really funny, fun, great actors, and everything about it is perfect. Then, Omari [Hardwick]– you know, I needed a philosopher. He felt like the perfect guy for the job and didn’t disappoint. He’s not too bad with the giant saw, either. You know, he will saw you in half.”

Have you seen Army of the Dead? Let us know down in the comments below!