Former WWE star Dave “Batista” Bautista, who appears as Mr. Hinx in the upcoming James Bond movie “Spectre”, recently spoke with LatinPost.com, and below are some interview highlights:
LP: Tell me a bit about the role. What is the most fascinating thing about playing this role?
DB: I think the cool thing is that he was going to be categorized as a henchman. And my fear was always that I didn’t like being cast as a muscle head. So two questions I asked Sam at that meeting was if Hinx was a bada**. Then I asked if he was intelligent and he said “Absolutely.” Those were my two concerns because I didn’t wanted to be categorized as a subservient henchman. I wanted to be a man on a mission doing his own thing. And that’s what Mr. Hinx is.
LP: What was the most exciting scene that you took a part in in this film?
DB: We did this elaborate car chase through Rome that was incredible. They literally shut down the city for us at night. When we driving these exotic cars through Rome it was insane. It felt like I was really in a James Bond film.
LP: You obviously also got to star in “Guardians of the Galaxy.” What is most fascinating about being in such big projects like these?
DB: I don’t think that I find anything particularly fascinating. For me it’s about the characters. I take jobs based on characters. I noticed that conditions are better on bigger budget films, but I don’t mind roughing it once in a while if the quality of the material is there. I can get used to some disorganized stuff. I was with WWE and everything was always disorganized there.
LP: Let’s shift to your transition from a professional wrestler to an actor. Was it a tough one?
DB: It was actually really rough. It didn’t seem to start rolling until Guardians was released. The first film I ever did, I was with WWE and it was a favor to a friend. When I did it, I realized I was a horrible actor. It pissed me off because I left feeling embarrassed. It made me want to prove myself and get better so I could get a second chance. And there you go.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
