Dave Bautista is among the few Wrestler-turned-actors who have enjoyed success in Hollywood, the other two superstars are— Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena. Alongside the trio, CM Punk has also appeared in several projects including movies and television shows albeit not claiming mainstream glory as of yet. Bautista recently revealed that he would love to work with Punk in a movie.
Dave Bautista Would Love To Work With CM Punk
CM Punk. Image Credit: WWE
Dave Bautista’s career in Hollywood is evolving as the actor has appeared in movies across genres working with several prominent directors. His recent movie The Killer’s Game features WWE Superstar Drew McIntyre in a promising role with a decent amount of screen time. Bautista also shared that he thinks McIntyre’s current WWE rival CM Punk is a great actor with the potential to contribute a lot to the acting world.
“You know who I think was really overlooked as an actor? I don’t know if he hasn’t pursued it as much as he’d like to because he’s still heavily pursuing professional wrestling but it’s CM Punk, Phil Brooks,” Bautista told BuzzFeed Celeb.
“His potential in acting is pretty unlimited. I really want to see more from him in acting, and I’d actually love to work with him because I think he has a passion for acting. I think, still, his heart is in professional wrestling. Until he’s able to let that go a little bit, he’ll never be able to fully envelope himself in acting. Phil Brooks, he’s a great actor,” he added.
Punk has a few movie credits to his name Girl on the Third Floor and Jakob’s Wife. But his remarkable roles come from television as she worked with Stephen Amell on Heels and his role in Mayans M.C. also got decent buzz.
Dave Bautista will Not Follow Dwayne Johnson and John Cena’s Path
Dave Bautista in The Killer’s Game. Image Credit: Lionsgate Movies
Bautista’s Hollywood career goal is quite clear as the actor clarified that he will not exclusively follow Dwayne Johnson and John Cena’s path. The former WWE superstar is not in the industry for making an astonishing amount of money or showbiz or fame. “I never wanted to be the next Rock,” Bautista said in an interview with GQ. “I just want to be a good fucking actor. A respected actor.”
“John Cena and I were both headlining shows. I was [the face of] ‘SmackDown.’ He was ‘Raw.’ But he was being used in [WWE-produced] films and television commercials and magazines, and I was just headlining shows. In fact, there was one point where he was off making a film and I was headlining both sets of shows and the pay-per-views. It was just a feeling of, ‘We’re not getting equal opportunities.’”
Bautista climbed the ladder to make his name in Hollywood with his own prowess and hard work. “Honestly, I could give a f*ck [about being a movie star],” Bautista told GQ.
“I don’t live a great big glamorous life. I live here in Tampa. I don’t care about the spotlight, I don’t care about fame. I just want to be a better actor. I want respect from my peers. I don’t need accolades — I really don’t, man. It’s about the experience, about knowing that I accomplished something.”
His acting career flourished and has delivered several stunning performances carefully avoiding typecast as an action star. Unlike Cena and Johnson, it would not be fair to call Bautista an action star as the actor has been involved in projects across genres.
