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Earlier this month, some movie fans wondered if actor and former wrestler Dave Bautista was experiencing some kind of health issue as the famously brawny performer showed off a new slim and trim look.
While promoting his new movie The Killer’s Game, the Guardians of the Galaxy star made it clear that the weight loss is a result of his own personal choices as he believes he not only feels better these days, but also believes he looks better on camera next to other actors.
“I started trimming down for a particular reason [to play other roles]. One, I started trimming down because I got fat. I got really big for a role [Knock at the Cabin] and it was uncomfortably big,” Bautista said in an interview with YouTuber Chris Van Vilet.
“I got really big, I was around 315lbs (22.5st) and I put on the weight really fast. I packed it on with french fries and pancakes. The director asked me, ‘I don’t want you to look like a powerlifter, I just want you to look like a great big guy.’ It took me forever to shed it off. And then 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 looked next to other actors.”
Bautista then pointed out how ridiculous it is for people to be worried about his size and health when he’s still 6’4″, 240 pounds — which are the body measurements of a massive human begin.
“People think, ‘God, you look skinny!’ I even saw lines of people worried about my health. And when I say it out loud to people, I’m 6’4”, 240lbs. I’m [still] a big person. Because people have seen me so much bigger over the years, they think I’m anorexic but I’m still a large human being.”
The former WWE standout says that he plans to maintain this week as he feels it makes him blend in better with “typical actors.” People shouldn’t worry about him, though, as he’s “not starving.”
“At 6’4”, 240lbs next to your typical actor, I look like a gorilla. And it’s distracting. So, I’ll probably lose a few more pounds. Cause I’m basically killing myself to be this trimmed. I’m training, my calories are pretty restricted – maybe 2,500 calories a day. For me it’s nothing, I just don’t eat much. [But] I’m not starving or anything.”
Bautista stars in his new film The Killer’s Game, which hits theaters on Friday, September 13, alongside Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, Pom Klementieff, and Ben Kingsley. This year has also seen the acclaimed character actor feature in Dune: Part Two, My Spy: The Eternal City, and The Last Showgirl.