Dave Bautista Put Himself on M. Night Shyamalan's Radar After E-Mailing Him a Fan Letter and Asking If They Could Collaborate
Dave Bautista is best known in his acting career for playing the character Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies for Marvel. After making the switch from his WWE wrestling career to acting, he worked on many action movies, as well as some comedies, and while the Marvel gig was his biggest break yet, the actor has recently talked about how he really wants to shift from these types of roles, and wants to be taken seriously as an actor.
He’s starring in the upcoming dramatic thriller Knock at the Cabin, from mastermind director M. Night Shyamalan, and while the director has openly praised Bautista’s performance in the movie, it turns out that the actor had an active hand in getting himself noticed by the director. He wrote him an e-mail.
In a recent interview with SFX Magazine, Shyamalan said he was impressed by Dave Bautista’s performance in the sci-fi drama Blade Runner 2049, but it was the actor’s e-mail to the director saying he was a fan, and that he’d like to work with him, which sparked Shyamalan’s idea to cast him in the role of the gentle giant Leonard in Knock at the Cabin.
Shyamalan explained his reply to Bautista:
"I said, 'You know what, I'd love to meet you. Let's talk.' And I was like, God, this guy is exactly the lead character. I mean, he is Leonard. He's amazing. And it's Dave, at this moment in his life, in his fifties, that makes him perfect for this. So you add Dave with these people, and Rupert on top of it [...] and then Nikki and Abby as well. This particular cast was the director's dream — having talent that is in the right headspace and ready to be vulnerable."
Bautista's co-star Ben Aldridge also shared his feelings about his co-star, saying:
"I think we shot a week and a half without Dave. [...] He came directly from 'Guardians.' I think he had, like, one day off or something. We'd been in the cabin for a bit and then this energy of Leonard came in. Suddenly you had this Hollywood mega-action hero walking into this domestic setting and playing this very complex, tortured, gentle character. It was disarming to have him there."
Everything I hear about this movie just has me more and more intrigued. I can’t wait to watch this story unfold, and see the performances from the cast. Dave Bautista is joined in the film by Jonathan Groff (Hamilton, Mindhunter), Ben Aldridge (Pennyworth, Fleabag), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Persuasion, Old), Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn (Little Women, Landline) and Rupert Grint (Servant, Harry Potter franchise).
Knock at the Cabin hits theaters on February 3rd.
via: /Film