Dave Bautista is an actor who has earned respect and adoration of millions of fans worldwide with his eccentrically dedicated work on several acclaimed films, and the list only continues to grow. As personable as he is hardworking, he also loves to pay it forward when giving others their due credit. Bautista has nothing but absolute, nigh-unflinching praise and admiration for his directing colleague Denis Villeneuve and would work for him again in less than a heartbeat.
In an interview with GQ, Bautista, who has worked with Villeneuve so far on Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and both Dune: Part One (2021) and the upcoming sequel Dune: Part Two (2023), discussed how the director has helped push him firmly beyond his perceived limits and realize his true potential as a serious and versatile actor.
“If I could be a number one [on the callsheet] with Denis, I would do it for f*****g free…I think that’s how I could find out how good I could be. He brings out the best in me. He sees me in a different light, sees the performer that I want to be. That might be how I solve the puzzle.”
With Villeneuve continuing to push the envelope on modern sci-fi cinema and create immersive cinematic masterpieces meant for the big screen, it’s no wonder that Bautista would want to forego a paycheck to work under him once again. The actor has recently discussed how he wishes to respectfully close the book on his character Drax in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise to branch out and pursue more dramatic roles that can help him accomplish more as an actor. Rather than go the gimmicky-action direction of The Rock, he’d instead focus entirely on more intimate roles in films that carry the most weight on the shoulders of the actors rather than top-grade CGI and action sequences. With his current track record, particularly his recent roles in Knock at the Cabin (2023) and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022), and stellar reputation in Hollywood, it’s safe to say that Bautista likely has nothing but a wide open road of opportunities ahead of him.
How Villeneuve Has Found Love With Grandiose Yet Graceful Sci-Fi Cinema
With sci-fi film taking a wide yet noticeable turn in a new direction these days, Denis Villeneuve is very much at the forefront of that train. More commercialized films in the genre, such as the decades-long Star Wars franchise, have been getting nudged to the back seat after increasingly poor audience reception to its most recent iterations. Whether it’s the gradual dilution of quality story-telling, or too heavy of a reliance on the flashiest and shiniest special effects to propel a film, or just that a single series can only be stretched over so many years and retold so many times, it’s a tad difficult to know for sure. Star Trek is arguably heading in the same direction, leaving one of the most imaginative and opportunistic genres in filmmaking in an awkward limbo phase.
Luckily, Villeneuve has been able to carry that weight mostly on his own with his line of acclaimed sci-fi films, from Arrival (2016) to Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and now the grandest of all, the Dune (2021) franchise (including the announced TV spinoff Dune: The Sisterhood). Each Oscar-winning project has been lavished with praise from both critics and audiences for checking all the marks that other sci-films have often failed to. From exceptional casting, eloquent and immersive story-telling, impeccable cinematography and sound design, and notably the lack of any flashy, overwhelming CGI, Villeneuve is a director that excels at bringing the heart of an otherworldly story to the forefront and giving audiences a one-of-a-kind experience with his clean yet undeniably stunning visuals. With his ever-growing Dune Universe on track for continued immense success, he’ll likely stay on top of the mountain for the foreseeable future.
