Dave Bautista is a pro-wrestler turned professional actor, with a real filmography full of quality directors and hit films. He’s got Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 coming out later this year, and he’s been working on Dune Part II for the better part of the past year. These are photos of Dave last night at the Knock at the Cabin premiere in New York last night – he’s the villain, I guess, although I don’t really know the story (I’ve only watched the trailers). He’s added M. Night Shyamalan to the list of directors who adore him. But the director he really wants to work with? Nancy Meyers or Richard Curtis. Yes, Dave Bautista would love to be the lead in a romantic comedy.
Dave Bautista’s filmography spans comic book movies (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), science-fiction tentpoles (“Dune,” “Blade Runner 2049”), action comedies (“Stuber”) and family movies (“My Spy”). One genre that’s missing is the romantic comedy, but that’s not been a deliberate choice. Bautista told Page Six that he’d love to star in a rom-com but he’s never gotten a single offer to do so. Not one.
“I know I’m not your typical rom-com lead,” Bautista said. “I’m a little rough around the edges. But I always, you know, I look in the mirror and I say, I ask myself, ‘Am I that unattractive? Is there something that unappealing about me that excludes me from these parts?’”
“I don’t know,” Bautista added. “It’s just never come my way. I’ve never had an offer to do a rom-com. I still have high hopes. I’ll just keep searching.”
There’s a lot of “give Dave a rom-com, you cowards” going around… but I kind of understand why he hasn’t gotten those scripts? It’s the kind of situation where you’d probably need a screenplay to be tailored specifically for Dave’s strengths and whole… thing. Like, no, he’s not getting the same scripts as Chris Pine or Channing Tatum, but in the right part, Dave would probably do a very good job. Mindy Kaling should write something for him? Something where he falls for an Indian girl.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
-
- New York City, NY – Celebrities at the NY premiere of “Knock At The Cabin” at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City. Pictured: Dave Bautista BACKGRID USA 30 JANUARY 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- New York City, NY – Celebrities at the NY premiere of “Knock At The Cabin” at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City. Pictured: Dave Bautista BACKGRID USA 30 JANUARY 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- New York City, NY – Celebrities at the NY premiere of “Knock At The Cabin” at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City. Pictured: Dave Bautista BACKGRID USA 30 JANUARY 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
What do they make these days, like maybe four romcoms a year? Unless you’re talking the hallmark channel.
Slow your roll Dave, almost nobody is getting offered romcoms. Also you’re 54, and ageism is a thing in Hollywood, maybe not so much for men as for women, but still.
Do I wish they made more good romcoms and that ageism didn’t exist? Yes.
He could’ve done the Channing Tatum role in Lost City. It would’ve been age-appropriate and it’s a romantic lead.
It’s because he’s carved out a very strong niche of being an action star. No one is going to automatically think of him as a romantic lead. But, hey, maybe now that he’s putting the message out there that he’s open to those kind of roles, he’ll start getting scripts for himself.
I agree. But I hope it works out for him. I certainly think we should break the romcom mold with always the same type of actors casted and the same vibe. It would need a super cool storyline and it would be a such breath of fresh air, like bridgerton was.
Well he is aware that he is not a heart throb such as Seth Rollins, a young John Cena or a young the Rock or Randy Orton.
@Lolo86lf i love me some BURN IT DOWN!! but Drax is the best. So meathead, such funny.
She’s a Robin Tunney as Agent Theresa Lisbon type who works in mining, lumber or tourism & is dating a local hockey playing law enf officer. He’s a _____ (stone faced … fading hockey player with a gambling problem … ?) from out of town . They meet at a local festival – he’s attending bc _______ – and he insults the area and she’s defensive but there’s also sparks. Hijinks ensue … a drunken karaoke night lets them each see softer sides of each other … etc.
Vibes :
Cutting Edge + Guardians of the Galaxy + a touch of Hallmark movie
Location: northern Minnesota, mid summer, lots of lakes
I can keep going …
There have been many actors who have starred in rom coms that are not conventionally good looking(jack black,seth rogen, Steve carell,errm Billy Crystal) . It’s the actress in the rom coms that are usually required to look a certain way.
Yea, rom com dudes are either traditionally hot or funny/flubby. He doesn’t fit in either mold. But now that he’s floated the idea around I could totally see Netflix considering it.
He is funny though. I think he just needs a shot!
I’ll star in a romantic comedy with you Dave!!
My thoughts exactly. Yes Dave you look perfect and we 100% would.
My favorite wrestler turned actor. He’s got the most range imo. Comedy is hard even when you have great writers, and his Drax was spot on with the comedic timing.
I agree. His timing is terrific (and he’s hot in his unique way). Vin Diesel was credible in The Pacifier — something like that would work for him.
Dave already did something like that – My Spy. And it was cute.
Just watched the trailer for My Spy. Looks like fun! Thanks!
They put Jason Statham in a comedy with a romantic subplot with Melissa McCarthy, and the results were hilarious. If it’s a good script and good roles written to the strengths of the actors, you can get a good movie from it.
And good chemistry between the leads… agreed
If they made the book Banking the Billionaire by Max Monroe into a movie then he would make a good Thatcher Kelly. That character is made for him.
No woman his age (54) and similar level of “attractiveness” would be offered such a role. The majority of women his age, regardless of “attractiveness” would be considered too old to play “the mom” of the leads!
I bet he does get some kind of romcom out of this, and that his co-star will be 27-35, aka young enough to be his daughter. Either that or they’ll rope in a 40-something actress so out of his league in terms of talent, recognition, AND looks — who BTW would STILL be too young for him — that the whole thing would be equally ridiculous.
And while I’m at it, no actress could make this kind of comment without being ripped apart by the internet and called names like “hag”, etc. Instead he gets ego-boosting compliments.
To be fair, his most recent marriage (that I’m aware of) was to a 20 something pole dancing champion. So, maybe he’d be fine with that casting.
This is generally true, but there are exceptions that prove the rule. Nancy Meyers makes them, and Diane Keaton stars in most of them, right? There’s an audience for them. I’d watch the hell out of a rom com with Jamie Lee Curtis, or Robin Wright, or Charlize Theron, or Naomi Watts or Minnie Driver—I’d want them to be actually bitingly funny, not coastal grandma, but they could be done. Emma Thompson is right there.
And yes, someone should offer Dave Bautista some rom com scripts. I would fully buy him as a romantic lead.
I agree, JW. He was quite good in Glass Onion. He has the big lug look, but I am always pleasantly surprised by his range. I expected him to be more like Schwartzenegar, but he is a TON better as an actor. He always surprises me. And he IS handsome in a real way. I’d love to see him in a ROM Com with Naomi Watts or something.
Sandra Bullock. Even Gwyneth Paltrow. Juliette Lewis. Winona Ryder. Soooo many actresses that are in that age range now. Hollywood needs to make it happen.
One of my favorite rom-coms is Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin in “Its Complicated.” They were all older in the movie, that was the point of it.
Okay, I admit this would be odd, but I’d love him to do a script with Jamie Lee Curtis. She wears her age like a flag and is so awesome.
Yes! Dave and Jamie Lee Curtis would be fantastic. Take my money please. It has to have writing.
Schwarzenegger made Kindergarten Cop – that worked.
That movie is so “of a time” but I totally loved it. Arnold did other comedies as well so he was being offered a fairly broad range of movies.
Yes but he was a movie star at the time. And I always cringe when Arnold tries romance on screen and thankfully he’s really only tried (somewhat) once? In True Lies? Jamie Lee Curties carried that movie though.
I think Dave could do a good job, maybe opposite Sandra Bullock? She can have chemistry with a block of cheese so I would watch that.
No lies told. And Bautista is a better actor. I like what Arnold does. True Lies was fun, but Dave has an actor’s nuance that Arnold doesn’t have.
Dave has been growing on me for years, but he’s been busting his acting chops lately, growing nuance and a little complexity into his roles.
It’s clear that he enjoys the craft, and I love that he is good and looks like a real guy on the street, somebody who is one thing on the outside but who is complicated and smart.
His recent work has made me a fan.
Same. He is the opposite of my usual physical type, but I like him immensely. After Glass Onion I watched a few too many of his interviews, and he is not at all what I expected. I wish him every success.
The problem isn’t Dave and his attractiveness or lack thereof. It’s the fact that no one knows how to cast romcoms anymore. They go for two conventionally pretty faces and expect the movie to work. They don’t take into account charm and chemistry, which is what made prior romcoms work!! It’s why a lot of romcoms in the last decade have flopped: a thin script and actors who might as well be paper dolls for all the spark they have with each other. I think Dave is charismatic though and would do great in a romantic role.
Yes, he is that unattractive!
Yikes @chaine! What is it you find so unattractive about Dave?
@Steph he just has that meathead look that to me maybe is ok if the guy is in their 20s or early 30s, but when they are sixtyish with a scroungy beard, um, no thanks. Definitely not rom com material.
That’s what I like about him. I want to see a regular looking guy in a romcom, but it’s the chemistry. @Steph, they DID care more about chemistry in the old days!
I don’t live amongst paper dolls, so I want to see real people in movies.
And Dave isn’t my type, but I still think he is hot. I’d do him, lol!!
I loved him in Glass Onion – he’s got the comedy timing and am sure they could write a script just for him.
one could argue My Spy was a Rom Com since his love interest ended up the kid’s Mom—- and his timing in that movie was EVERYTHING. Dude is funny.
How hot he is will certainly be a matter of preference, but I am liking his style.
I was going to say the same thing. It was kind of a rom com, and he was adorable in it.
A rom com starring this guy would be a fun watch. I hope it happens. I can’t relate to the 25-year-olds breaking up due to minor miscommunications and easily explained assumptions. Need to see the older folks who’ve toasted their or their friends’ divorces already.
Yes!! This is the genre for me, as well!
David Bautista, you are the sexiest, hottest man alive.
He has a net worth of 16 million. He’ll be fine without the rom coms.
You know acting is fun, right? Like that’s the point – he’s paid to do something fun. And he’s saying he’d like to branch out. Not just for money – to have fun. Do you remember how to have fun?
Give him a gay rom com and make him the more, um, traditionally feminine of the pair. I think he could pull it off.
I have always thought he was nice looking. But I like a manly man.
Here’s my pitch: Dave and Sigourney Weaver meet at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. She’s a mom to two ungrateful sons in their thirties, and he’s just started AA after a spectacularly bad motorcycle accident. She’s understandably skittish about relationships because her alcoholism stems from abuse by her now-deceased husband, but Dave is drawn to her because of her undeniable gorgeousness and spiritual strength. Her sons, however, have their father’s mean streak and want to throw a monkey wrench into the developing friendship. And both of their AA sponsors are trying to keep them apart.
And… call me, Dave!
I like this. Call outoftheshadows agents of Dave and Sigourney!
Oh no, did he pancake?
I read the book that “Knock on the Cabin” was taken from. No way Im seeing the movie. There are some acts of violence that are super offensive to me. Dave may or may not play the villain. Or there may be multiple villains. Or none.
What was the title of the book? I’m curious to read the story and even though I have liked Dave since his wrestling days, I have zero desire to see this film.
Dave Bautista needs to stop trying to make “Dave Bautista” happen. He’s so try hard.
that is literally the POINT of all actors — to make themselves ‘happen’ to develop a career — to make a living at their calling or whatever you want to call it.
Try hard = making a living :: pearls clutched::
That movie looks HELLA scary and that is not entertainment for me. He’s an okay looking dude and if he were matched with an age-appropriate, unconventional looking actress I think it would work. It could be quirky and outside of the box. I’d like that.
I find him FAR more attractive than the boring dull soporific average romcom guy. He also seems to be genuinely a good guy. They’d have to get an actual writer to do it, though, because his character would have to have actual personality, and those are thin on the ground in Hollywood these days. I suggest Rian Johnson. There are plenty of 50-something actresses to pair him with, but I suggest Michelle Yeoh.
He’s also a quiet introvert in real life. All of it is swoonworthy really.
Jack Nicholson had a huge career resurgence in his senior years as, of all things, a romcom leading man.
He was definitely Jack Nicholson playing Jack Nicholson, but when has he not been that?
Just saying – it’s a possibility. Dave isn’t my type, but he emotes well on screen and has great comedic timing. I think he could totally pull it off. Especially if he does a little Jack Nicholson work and goes for the anti-leading male schtick.
Dave Bautista is a total sweetheart and genuinely good person. If he were written as himself, that is what he would be. Like, rescuing kittens from trees.
He’s a city transit bus drive, but doesn’t know that he’s very charming, bunch of different ladies on the route fall for him, then someone starts leaving notes on his bus, and he’s gotta figure out who’s the one looking for him, but really doesn’t believe anyone would be looking for him. Whatever?. Idk I can see him as an “everyday person” for a romcom….
I love this! Creative writing for the win!
Wait. Pay attention people. Where has everyone been?
Dave Bautista was in an Amazon Prime movie called “My Spy” made in 2020. It certainly qualifies as a romantic comedy. The only down side of that movie is that you can’t seem to buy a copy anywhere and the only way to watch it is on Amazon Prime Video. I know, I have watched it at least 4 times.
Of course, finding someone attractive is totally subjective. Personally, I think Dave Bautista is gorgeous and sexy.
Remember how many women thought John Wayne was attractive? He made a lot of fine movies, but that man was never handsome.