Dave Bautista has always been a big guy because you sort of have to be if you’re going to be throwing punches for a living. Recently, he has made it clear that he is done with wrestling and has trimmed down intentionally after gaining more weight for a role, and fans grew concerned over his drastic weight loss.
In a new interview with reporter Chris Van Vliet, Bautista confirms that his weight loss was partially inspired by his ever-growing list of acting roles. He explained, “I started trimming down for a particular reason. One, I started trimming down because I just got fat. I got really big for a role and it was uncomfortably big,” he said, referring to his Knock at the Cabin role. “I got really big. I was like around 315 pounds and I put the weight on really fast,” he said, adding that he packed on pounds by eating lots of french fries.
The actor then admitted that only had a short amount of time in between films to gain some pounds, which is why he expedited the process in order to “to look like a great big guy.” Then he ended up being uncomfortable in his own skin. “Looking back at it, I probably over did it,” Bautista said. “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.”
As soon as he started losing the weight, Bautista felt that he felt better and looked better on camera next to actors, but he was shocked by the response to his weight loss. “People say, ‘God, you’re skinny.’ 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,” he added, before mentioning that his former profession required him to be bigger. He continued, “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.”
Bautista says he isn’t done yet either, and still wants to shed a few more pounds… but if you ever feel the need to gain over 60 pounds for a job, consider talking to a doctor instead! It’s not worth it.