Dave Bautista recently commented that shooting Spectre, the 24th installment of the James Bond franchise, was a nightmare. In the film, Bautista plays one of SPECTRE's main henchmen, Hinx. As one of the film's antagonists, Hinx has plenty of action opposite Daniel Craig's James Bond, with the two sharing more than a few punches. The film sees Bond working to unmask the evil organization known as SPECTRE and run by Christoph Waltz's Ernst Blofeld. The reveal of Blofeld was meant to be kept under wraps and the character was referred to as Franz Oberhauser before release, but most fans seemed to know better.
Spectre was released on November 6th, 2015 to mostly positive reviews, and it went on to earn over $880 million worldwide. However, many critics noted Craig's waning enthusiasm for the role, which Craig confirmed himself while speaking with the press. Spectre was directed by Sam Mendes and it marked his second outing in the Bond franchise after 2012's Skyfall. The production of Spectre filmed all over the world in more than five countries with a budget of $245 million.
In recent weeks, Bautista has been promoting his new film Army of the Dead, and in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he commented on the strenuous production of Spectre. He said, "being on a Bond film is just hard." As with most globe-trotting spy thrillers, it can be an arduous undertaking, or as Bautista put it, "a long and slow process." However, Bautista just landed a role in Rian Johnson's in-development Knives Out sequel, which promoted an enthusiastic response when it came to working with Craig again. Bautista said:
"Yes, I am excited to be working with Daniel again. And I’m excited that it will be in a much, much less stressful environment because being on a Bond film is just hard. It’s just stressful. It’s just long days. Logistically, it’s a nightmare. You’re just moving from country to country to country. It’s just a long and slow process. I think Spectre shot for almost a year. My role wasn’t extensive, but I was on the film for eight months. So it’s just a long, long process."
With an ever-expanding acting resume that includes the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Blade Runner 2049, Bautista is no stranger to massive film productions that span months. If that weren't enough, Bautista spent eight years on the road with the WWE as a professional wrestler. The WWE travels around the world with events in new cities every week and the added demand of being in top physical condition throughout the duration. With a background like that, his comments about the shoot of Spectre carry weight.
As Bautista continues in his career, he's sure to take on more challenging shoots. He even spoke recently about personally campaigning for the role of Bane in a Batman film, and he wouldn't be a bad choice for the part. However, he may be showing some fatigue with large productions as he's also made comments recently about stepping away from the role of Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Guardians of the Galaxy 3. Whatever roles he decides to tackle next, he's built up a loyal fan base that will be eager to check it out. His next project, Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead, is slated to hit Netflix on May 21st.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
