Batista recently spoke with CinemaBuzz about his role in the new film Blade Runner 2049; you can read a few transcribed highlights (credit Wrestlezone.com) and watch the interview below:
Batista comments on his long journey from WWE to MMA to now being a movie star, finally being recognized as an actor instead of as a wrestler:
“Well, it’s weird that you say that, because I never, ever think along those lines and when I left wrestling I really left to pursue acting. I knew it was going to be a long route, because I passed up on a lot of the roles that you would think I would be after — the action roles, the typical ‘big ex-wrestler’ roles. I passed on those because I really wanted to prove myself as an actor, and I wanted to prove to people that I don’t want to be a movie star, I want to be an actor. I just fell in love with it, and it’s been a long route, because I feel like these last couple years it’s starting to pay off. People are finally starting to accept me as an actor, and actually I’m starting to get recognized more as an actor and some people don’t even realize that I was wrestling at some point.”
Batista reveals the biggest challenge he’s faced as an actor:
“I think initially my biggest challenge was to get people to see past that persona I put on in WWE, to realize I wasn’t going to come into a room and try to intimidate everyone, and start barking and screaming and growling at everyone and hitting people with chairs. It was just to get past that stereotype because when I first started I even had a hard time getting auditions. It’s still something I face from job to job getting people to look past this [his physical appearance] because there’s only so much I can pull off when I look like this or I’m built like this. When you look like you’re built like a gorilla it’s hard to get people to empathize with you and see past that. This is the way I am, this is the way I look, this is the way I’ve always looked, and it’s just who I am.”
