Dave Bautista says he refuses to work with ‘a**holes’ in the movie business after enduring too many ‘awful’ on-set experiences over the span of his 16-year career.
The WWE wrestler-turned-actor, 56, made the reveal on Tuesday while promoting his latest film Afterburn with director J.J. Perry.
During a joint interview, Bautista agreed with Collider’s Steve Weintraub that having to spend ‘long hours’ with a difficult co-star can make a film shoot ‘horrific.’
‘Absolutely awful,’ Bautista said with a laugh. ‘I’m just at the age and at the point of my life where life’s just too godd*mn short.’
He continued: ‘I want to work with people I just love and respect, because I love this business. I love filmmaking, and if people don’t want to be there, I don’t want to be there with them. You know?
‘I’m happy to be there. It’s a love thing for me, and I’m passionate about it.
While he didn’t name-drop any former co-stars, Bautista did say he has zero tolerance for those who ‘complain’ or ‘moan’ about working in Hollywood, which he sees as a privilege.
Dave Bautista says he refuses to work with ‘a**holes’ in the movie business after enduring too many ‘awful’ on-set experiences over the span of his 16-year career; seen in 2024
The WWE wrestler-turned-actor, 56, made the reveal on Tuesday while promoting his latest film Afterburn with director J.J. Perry; Bautista seen in Afterburn (2025)
‘I want to be there, and I want to make the most of it, so I don’t want to hear people b****ing, complaining, moaning, and groaning about doing something that we’re all fortunate enough to be doing and making.’
Afterburn director Perry agreed, replying: ‘Amen, brother. Amen.’
Fans flocked to Reddit to speculate as to which actors Bautista may have been talking about.
Some were convinced that Bautista’s Blade Runner 2049 co-star Jared Leto was among the Hollywood ‘complainers’ he despises, while others posed his Glass Onion co-star Edward Norton as an option.
Both Norton and Leto are known for taking their craft extremely seriously, which has fueled unsubstantiated rumors that they’re ‘difficult’ to work with.
Some Reddit users threw out Bautista’s Guardians Of The Galaxy co-star Chris Pratt as a contender, but many felt Pratt was unlikely due to his positive reputation and Bautista’s fondness for him.
Earlier in the interview, Perry called Bautista, who is the post-apocalyptic acton film’s leading man, a ‘gem’ who is ‘amazing’ to collaborate with.
‘Steve, I’m just going to tell you something. If you don’t have someone like Dave Bautista in your life or a Dave Bautista, you’re missing out, bro,’ he told Collider.
While he didn’t name-drop any former co-stars, Bautista did say he has zero tolerance for those who ‘complain’ or ‘moan’ about working in Hollywood, which he sees as a privilege; seen in 2024
‘I want to be there, and I want to make the most of it, so I don’t want to hear people b****ing, complaining, moaning, and groaning about doing something that we’re all fortunate enough to be doing and making,’ he said; seen in 2024
‘He’s a gem, bro. Generous, kind, smart, intelligent, and talented. All of the best things. To have a lead actor that’s so game and just as a friend, it was amazing for me.’
In regards to what it was like working with Perry, Bautista said that he’s ‘never seen somebody so supportive of a cast and crew’ and that he ‘makes filmmaking fun.’
Bautista also revealed that James Gunn’s 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy film was the toughest shoot he’s ever been a part of due a major action sequence.
‘Mine was in the original Guardians,’ he confessed. ‘We shot this oner…it was just a huge fight scene, and James wanted to do it in a oner, and it was involving probably, like, 50 people.’
He continued: ‘It was a big action sequence. I think we did 23 takes, and it was just very big and complicated with the camera, and everybody had to be right on. I think we shot 23 takes.
‘People were dying, and I was dying. I was killing the stunt guy. I was just kicking the s**t out of him,’ Bautista recalled.
‘After the tenth take, he got up slower and slower, and I just felt awful. But I think we shot it in, like, 23 takes, and they never ended up using it.’
However, Bautista said that the shoot for his upcoming film, Highlander, could dethrone Guardians as the most difficult.
Fans flocked to Reddit to speculate as to which actors Bautista may have been talking about
Some wildly speculated that Glass Onion co-star Edward Norton could a contender
Others were convinced that Bautista’s Blade Runner 2049 co-star Jared Leto was among the Hollywood ‘complainers’ he despises; seen in 2025
Some Reddit users threw out Bautista’s Guardians Of The Galaxy co-star Chris Pratt as a contender, but many felt Pratt was unlikely due to his positive reputation
‘I have a feeling I’m gonna have a new answer for you after I finish this Highlander film,’ he teased.
Bautista’s latest film Afterburn hits theaters on September 19.
The post-apocalyptic action flick follows treasure hunter for hire Jake (Bautista), who, ‘after a massive solar flare destroys the Earth’s eastern hemisphere, adventures to Europe to uncover the coveted Mona Lisa, only to learn the world needs a hero more than it needs a painting,’ according to IMDb.
Bautista stars alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Olga Kurylenko in the J.J. Perry-directed feature.
