Dave Bautista recently lost a lot of weight to get in better shape for various film roles – he says. His fans are worried.
Dave Bautista, formerly known for muscles, muscles, muscles, has undergone a remarkable physical transformation in recent months. Fans were surprised by his noticeably slimmer appearance at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. But the actor who played Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy films makes it clear: his weight loss is the result of hard work and conscious decisions, not health issues.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, the 55-year-old explained that his recent physical change is related to his acting career. For his role in M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller “Knock at the Cabin,” he gained a massive amount of weight in a short period of time, reaching 315 pounds (approx. 142 kilograms). But this weight gain turned out to be uncomfortable. “I felt uncomfortable and it took forever to lose the weight,” he explained.
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After filming, he decided to lose the extra weight to appear less “distracting” on screen. He stressed that he felt more comfortable in his slimmer form and looked better on camera next to his fellow actors.
From action to drama
“The weight loss has made it easier for me to take on more versatile roles and to move away from pure action roles,” said the American. In fact, he was often compared to earlier photos that showed him at his best during his WWE days, which led some fans to worry that he was ill.
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At 6’4″ tall and currently weighing around 230 pounds, Bautista is still an imposing figure. But compared to his WWE days, when he weighed up to 360 pounds, he now looks significantly slimmer. “When I say I weigh 240 pounds, it still sounds huge. But people have seen me so much bigger over the years that they think I’m anorexic,” he joked.
To achieve this goal, Bautista not only changed his diet but also devoted himself intensively to Jiu-Jitsu. While filming “Dune” in Budapest, he trained for hours with his trainer Jason Manly. These intense workouts, combined with a predominantly vegetarian diet, helped him lose weight.
New focus: From Drax to dramatic roles
He ended his wrestling career in 2019 to devote himself entirely to acting. He decided not to return to wrestling so as not to put further physical strain on his body. “I will never wrestle again,” he said in an interview, adding that it was a relief to leave the time of “physical abuse” behind him.
Dave Bautista is now looking for more diverse and dramatic roles. He turned down a role in the “Fast & Furious” series because he is more interested in serious and deeper characters. “I don’t want to pretend and act like I’m interested in something that doesn’t really excite me,” he said of his decision.
