Dave Bautista Says His Guardians Of The Galaxy Makeup Is Traumatizing

As the promotional campaign for Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead continues, Dave Bautista has been absolutely everywhere talking about a huge range of topics. The actor has revealed several interesting personal and professional tidbits, too, ranging from how nervous he is to be starring in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out sequel to the revelation that he shut Universal down from offering him a role in the Fast & Furious franchise so he could pitch them a Gears of War movie instead.

On top of that, he’s gone into great detail about why he wants to play Bane and what would make him so good at it, and of course there’s been talk of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. It sounds as though the 52 year-old is readying himself to play Drax the Destroyer for the last time as well and in a new interview, he admitted that the makeup isn’t getting any easier.

“Well, I’m looking forward to being back with my friends. I like the camaraderie. I’m in a weird place with Drax because I’ve played Drax so many times, I’m on cruise control. I love the character, but getting in the makeup, it’s just a nightmare. I couldn’t explain how awful it is. I hate to sound like one of those high-maintenance actors, but it’s just traumatizing. Once I’m in it and I’m on set with my friends and making this character come to life and interacting with these characters that I love so much as a fan, it’s all fun and joy. Throughout the years, maybe because I’ve gotten older and more sensitive to it, the makeup’s become more unbearable, but the one thing I’m just looking forward to is closing out this journey of Drax.”

Bautista already shared his feelings that he thinks Marvel dropped the ball somewhat on Drax’s character arc, which he did say was partly his fault thanks to his comedic timing, and instead of being the grieving and vengeful father he’s typically depicted as in the comic books, he’s become more of a lighthearted figure of fun.

At least the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is being filmed during production on Vol. 3, so he doesn’t need to add any extra days onto his schedule to get back into the makeup chair. But even if he is bidding a fond farewell to Drax, Bautista still has plenty in the pipeline with Army of the Dead hitting theaters today and Netflix next week, while Dune arrives later this year and the Knives Out sequel kicks off in June before he reunites with James Gunn and the gang before 2021 is out.