Pro wrestler turned exceptional actor Dave Bautista is responding to concerns from fans regarding his weight loss. In a recent interview, the 55-year-old actor revealed that his initial weight gain was intended for a role in Knock at the Cabin, last year’s psychological horror film directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
The Blade Runner 2049 star explained his weight journey in an interview with social media personality Chris Van Vliet.
“I started trimming down for a particular reason. One, I started trimming down because I just got fat,” Bautista explained in a clip shared on TikTok. “I got really big for a role and it was uncomfortably big… Knock at the Cabin… I got really big. I was like around 315 pounds and I put the weight on really fast.”
He mentioned that he needed to gain weight “between films” and had only a “very short period of time” to do so, relying on foods like French fries and pancakes. The actor recalled Shyamalan expressing a desire for him to “look like a great big guy,” rather than resembling a powerlifter.
Dave Bautista Believes He ‘Over Did It’ with His ‘Knock at the Cabin’ Weight Gain
“Looking back at it, I probably over did it,” Bautista admitted. “I was probably a little too big, but at the time, I was just thinking, I gotta get big. And I put on an uncomfortable amount of weight, and it took me forever to shed it off.”
However, Bautista insists dropping the pounds makes him feel better.
“I noticed the more I trimmed down, the better I felt. And I also noticed the more I trimmed down, the better I looked on camera, the better I look next to other actors.”
“People say, ‘God, you’re skinny,’” he added. “I’ve even seen online, some people worried about my health. And when I say it out loud, ‘I’m 6’4″ 240 pounds,’ which sounds like I’m a big person. People have seen me so much bigger over the years that they think I’m like anorexic, but I’m still just a large human being next to your typical actor. It looks like a gorilla and it’s distracting.”
Meanwhile, it seems the former wrestler plans to push the weight loss even further.
Bautista stated that he is continuing to focus on shedding “a few more pounds” and is “training hard” to achieve this goal by regulating his caloric intake.