Dave Bautista Said His ‘Knock at the Cabin’ Role Was His Most Challenging Ever

Dave Bautista is no stranger to the spotlight — nor to high-profile movies. As a star of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he is well-versed in navigating challenging characters and tough filming situations. Still, Bautista’s latest role in the new M. Night Shyamalan film Knock at the Cabin gave the actor a run for his money. In a recent interview, he broke down his experience working with Shyamalan, detailing why he considers the role of Leonard to be his “most challenging” acting role to date.

Dave Bautista plays Leonard in ‘Knock at the Cabin’

Bautista might seem like an unlikely movie star, but to many fans all over the world, his sincerity and humor make him a perfect fit for Hollywood’s upper echelon. He got his start as a professional wrestler, enjoying several stints in the WWE beginning in the early 2000s and ending with his official retirement in 2019. Bautista started his acting career in the early 2000s with a series of roles in television. But it wasn’t until 2014 that he gained widespread prominence with viewers, after he was cast as Drax the Destroyer in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

Bautista has since acted in several popular movies, including Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and the James Bond film Spectre. He’s also reprised the role of Drax multiple times, much to the delight of fans. His latest outing, as Leonard in Knock at the Cabin, is already making waves with critics. According to IMDb, Bautista’s character is one of a group of armed strangers who take a young girl and her parents hostage, demanding that they make a choice that they claim will avert the apocalypse. 

What did Dave Bautista say about his role in ‘Knock at the Cabin’ being his most challenging?

Bautista found himself genuinely challenged by his role in Knock at the Cabin, as he revealed in a recent interview with Universal Pictures. “This has been by far the most challenging project I’ve ever done. This is the role, like literally, this is the role that I’ve been waiting for, getting to prove myself, prove my worth,” Bautista said. “I think throughout it’s just been a challenging film. It’s been a challenging project. This is an opportunity of a lifetime.”

Shyamalan opened up in the same interview, admitting that the role of Leonard called for a very specific type of actor. “He came to me and basically convinced me that he would do anything,” Shyamalan said of Bautista. “And I believed him, that he would do anything for me and he did.”

What are critics saying about ‘Knock at the Cabin’?

Over the years, Shyamalan has released more than a few films that garnered some negative reviews. and In recent years, the director has had more flops than wins. Still, Knock at the Cabin is proving to be a hit for the filmmaker, with critical reviews pointing to good things, even though the film won’t receive a theatrical release until early February 2023. Currently, Knock at the Cabin has 71% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, with many of the positive reviews praising Bautista in particular.

“Dave Bautista is as good as he’s ever been here,” one review raved, while another noted, “Great acting from Bautista & surrounding cast.” Still others called out the film as being a bold new direction for Shyamalan. “Knock at the Cabin is a compelling and earnest film about those who stand in the face of destruction and make sacrifices to save us all,” one critic pointed out.