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What's the story?
While Batista first made a mark on the world in a wrestling ring, the Animal has found a lot of success in Hollywood.
He spoke recently with the Tampa Bay Times and revealed that he didn't like being lumped in with other wrestlers turned actors like John Cena and The Rock. He also gave his thoughts on the careers of the other two. Fightful.com carried transcripts of the interview.
In case you didn't know
Batista has become a mainstay in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Drax the Destroyer. He's also compiled a resume with appearances in several movies, including Blade Runner 2049, Hotel Artemis and the upcoming Dune reboot.
He returned to the WWE last night in a shocking attack of former Evolution stablemate Ric Flair during a night that was dedicated to Flair's 70th birthday.
The heart of the matter
During the interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Batista was both complimentary and critical of his contemporaries from the ring.
“Do not compare me to The Rock or John Cena. Everyone does it. Those guys are wrestlers who became movie stars. I’m ... something else. I was a wrestler. Now, I’m an actor. The Rock was, in a way, a movie star before he was even a movie star. There is something about him that’s really special. I’d never take that away from him. Would I consider him a great actor? F--- no."
He also mentioned that simply being in films isn't what he's looking for which might be what he thinks The Rock and Cena are doing.
“I want good roles. I don’t care about Fast and Furious or Bumblebee. ... That’s not the kind of stardom I want. ... I want to be in Dune. I want to work with Denis Villeneuve. I want to work with Sam Mendes and Jodie Foster. I want to work with Academy Award winners. I’m proud to be a character actor. I want that respect and credibility and education.”
The next movie that Batista will appear in will be the finale of the Avengers franchise, Avengers: Endgame which comes out this April.
What's next?
In the ring, it appears that the WrestleMania match between Batista and Triple H is now on after the Animal attacked Ric Flair last night on Raw.
Batista has always wanted his final match to be against Triple H and it now appears that we might be headed that way.
In terms of the choices of films, all three former wrestlers decide to pursue, to each their own. Some like the popcorn movies, some like character-driven films and others just want to rule the world.
Unfortunately for Batista, people will always compare him to Cena and the Rock simply because they are former wrestlers who are now prominent actors.
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