Acclaimed Movie Director Calls Dave Bautista Best Wrestler-Turned-Actor
The Animal is better than John Cena and The Rock, according to this Hollywood director...
Dave Bautista is the best wrestler-turned-actor ever.
That's according to Knives Out and Glass Onion director Rian Johnson, at least, with the acclaimed moviemaker saluting one of his stars in the wake of the latter film's release on Netflix last week.
Whilst speaking to David Sims in an interview for The Atlantic, The Last Jedi creator had absolutely no problem putting the former WWE star over as the best-ever wrestler to pursue a career in acting. Responding to Sims' description of The Animal as "low-key the greatest wrestler-to-actor ever," Johnson happily responded by stating:
"I absolutely 100 percent agree. And I think somebody like [Paul Thomas Anderson] is going to give him a real part and is gonna look like a genius. As a person, Bautista is genuinely, immediately vulnerable when you meet him, and that's what I was excited about. This is someone who has the physical trappings of someone who would play it big, but he actually brings sensitivity to the role."
The role of men's-rights streamer Duke Cody in Johnson's Glass Onion merely sits as the latest in a long line of celebrated performances from the former World Heavyweight Champion, with Bautista impressing in everything from Dune to Blade Runner 2049 to Guardians of the Galaxy since deciding to fully embrace the world of film-making.
Interestingly, Johnson would also admit that he initially imagined Cody as "a scrawny dude who's trying to overcompensate". However, the second Big Dave was brought up as a potential candidate for the part, the director was "so smitten by the idea" and confessed to being "a very big fan of his dramatic chops as an actor."
Yet, while the likes of John Cena, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and many other one-time wrestling sensations are all very much doing well for themselves in the business of show at this current moment, it's clear Johnson sees Bautista as the finest wrassler to ever turn their attention towards becoming a thespian.
M. Night Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin, James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two will all come equipped with another no-doubt excellent Bautista showing, too.