Former WWE star and current “Spectre” cast member Dave “Batista” Bautista recently spoke with Chris Van Vliet, and below are some interview highlights:
On how wrestling helped him land a role in “Spectre”:
“Jim Ross used to say you make your money [with your face] and I took that very seriously. You really do, you tell a story and you speak without speaking. It’s something that I think I was good at and a reason that I got the job but it still even required more than I thought it was going to take.”
On acting advice he got from The Rock:
“It’s a very hard transition and you’re already under a microscope. For one they label you, and everybody will look for an excuse they can to be negative about what you’re doing. I always found it amazing that he was able to go from film to wrestling and back to film to wrestling and he described it as quicksand especially with the WWE because they are very controlling. They’re not the easiest company to deal with. And he said don’t get caught in the quicksand, you’re not trapped here, you have to be strong and have to stand your ground. If this is what you want to do you have to make it known and you’re not going to deviate from that plan.”
Would he have changed anything about his previous run in WWE?:
“I don’t know if it would go any different because it was just butting heads. I was just constantly butting heads with them creatively which is something we talked about well beforehand and I was promised things that weren’t delivered to me. For one, I didn’t want to go back as a babyface. I said it’s not going to work, they don’t want to see me as a babyface. I’m the worst babyface ever. But I’m a good heel, I know how to be a heel, I’m comfortable being a heel and the fans want me to be a heel. But they tried to shove me down everybody’s throats and they rebelled. They’re not idiots and they don’t like it and they don’t want it. Then it became a state of confusion where they didn’t know what they wanted to do with me so they’d just send me out every week regurgitating the same crap and it was just horrible.”
Would he want to return to WWE:
“Oh yeah. At the end of the day I love WWE and I’ve proven that I wouldn’t wrestle anywhere else. I feel like wrestling anywhere else would be a step down. I love the company and I will always be appreciative for what they’ve done for me. I would love to go back, they’re just really hard to deal with and also right now my passion is acting and I’m pursuing it. But if the opportunity comes up and they were a little more flexible with me as far as creative, I’d love to. But also, I would do it in a heartbeat and I don’t want big money, I don’t want a limited schedule, if they would allow me to go back and just do house shows I’d be all over it. Because then you just skip all of the red tape and you don’t have to deal with the writers and all that bullsh*t. And my thing is wrestling. Wresters. Audience. Ring. That’s all I want.”
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
