*Disney/Marvel provided us an all expense paid trip to visit the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in Atlanta. All my opinions are my own and not swayed by outside sources.*
One of my favorite characters in Guardians of the Galaxy is DRAX! I just love him. It was an absolute pleasure to interview the one and only Dave Bautista who reprises his role of Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. 
MY INTERVIEW WITH DAVE BAUTISTA:
Question 1: What’s it like to be back with your Guardians of the Galaxy family?
He told us it is awesome. He loves that with this reoccurring role, he is now more comfortable and much less nervous, which is a big deal for him on such a great movie like this.
“That was my first really huge film. We all know each other. We spent so much time together not only on the first film but also on the press tour. We spent a lot of time together. So we are all really close. Especially when we were in London because we really only had each other to lean on. We were foreigners in a foreign country, making this film and nobody really knew what to expect from it. We all got really close and we are like family.”
Question 2: Can you tell us a little bit about your makeup process?
He told us in the first film it was done in four hours. Each day took four hours to put his makeup on. With this film, they got it down to one and a half hours which he told us is cause for a celebration.
“It’s a whole new system they’re using. They used to just dab on the paint and that’s how they started the process. Now they attack me with paint rollers. There’s like five guys rolling paint, and then there’s other stuff too.”
Question 3: The last time some of us sat down with you was the interviews for the premiere of the movie and so you guys were doing interviews not knowing exactly how the movie would be. So now looking back at that, how is that?
He told us it is very weird. He told us nobody knew there would ever be a sequel until the opening weekend, when they found out it was a blaring success. Since it was a breaking record weekend with the first, they knew they had the green light to come back for the second. They all knew it was going to be great but they didn’t know how the audiences would respond.
Question 4: Tell us about your relationship with Mantis?
“ Well I also don’t want to give anything away. But, I will say Mantis and Drax definitely make a connection. It’s probably not the connection most people are going to expect or that people might be reading into, but definitely a connection. I think that people have to remember, fans have to remember that the heart of Drax is his heartbreak over his family so I don’t think there’s ever gonna be that next love interest for Drax. I think he had that love interest, she’s gone and that what he’s driven by is that heartbreak, that sinking revenge.”
Question 5: What do you love about playing this character?
“ What I love most about him, I think, is that he is not what people expect. Like when I did the first one, I think people expected Drax to be a certain way, and James went the totally opposite way with him. For instance if you take a big guy and he looks menacing and he looks terrified, it’s easy to be that guy on screen, you know? You growl a lot, you snarl a lot, you cut people’s heads off and it’s easy.”
“There’s just nothing challenging about it. But to be that guy and look that way, but then to make people laugh, I think is the challenge. And I think that’s the fun part, and that’s what I love about Drax. I think it’s fair to say that there’s a lot more of that in this film. I think Drax has a bigger role in this film. I think he struck a chord with people in the first film. James get a real kick out of writing for Drax.”
“I know that he does ‘cause we’ll sit there and we read and he just laughs and laughs and laughs. And also when I deliver the lines that he’s written, I can hear him laughing. I know he’s amused by it, so I know he really loves the character and my role has definitely increased in this film.”
Question 6: What’s your typical day like on set?
He says it is really structured. He starts out very early in the morning around 430 am and then makeup is done. They usually run about a 10 hour day. Everything they do such as eating, is done on set. Once they are done with the day, he hits the sauna to take his makeup off and calls it a day.
Question 7: What’s been the hardest scene to keep a straight face?
“There’s been more than a few. One situation is if I have a close-up because, sometimes when you’re off camera you’re not so much into it so when you’re off camera, you’re more likely to smile and laugh at the scene, more of a spectator rather than being in the scene as an actor. And a lot of times when I will do my close-up and I have to deliver these lines very straight-faced but they’re funny lines, Zoe will just start laughing at me off camera or Chris will start laughing. And I have to say stop laughing, ‘cause once I get the giggles, everybody gets the giggles. There is a lot of that in this film because the script is just so funny, just so well-written and so funny.”
Question 8: What’s one thing you would like to see for your character?
He said he like to see his character in The Avengers.
“You know, this is wishful thinking. I’d like to see my character stick around. Those are personal things. Otherwise, I’m pretty satisfied with the character. He’s actually more than I ever thought he could be or really wished that he could be. I have to give a lot of credit to James for that. He’s been the creative mind behind Drax but I think he’s really created an incredible character.”
Question 9: Being that this is your first sequel are you finding more or less pressure with delivering Drax to the audience?
He told us way less pressure because he is comfortable already with the character. He said he owns Drax and that he is comfortable with him. He said the mastermind behind Drax is James but James wrote the character role for him because he knows his strengths. He said it much easier to play Drax this time around.
Question 10: Were you a fan of the comic books growing up?
He told us not so much. He got his superhero fix from TV and then later from movies. He was more into this than reading a comic book or any type of book.
Question 11: How did you get yourself physically prepared for this role?
“That is so funny you ask because I didn’t really train for the last one. And I had the luxury of the big sheets of latex and I came in and did the first makeup test for this film, I was like wow, I really have to be in shape for this because the makeup is unforgiving and it doesn’t hide anything. So I actually trained rigorously for this and I still do. I can’t train on the days that we work but the days that I’m off, people always say what do you do with your days off? I worked out, I train!”
“Yeah, I’ve been hitting it hard because, I want to deliver. I want Drax to look the part as well so yeah, I really took this more seriously, diving and training, so hopefully it’ll show.”
Question 12: Do you have a message to any little boys, like my son looks up you so do you have a message maybe in general, to boys who look up to you and your character?
He told us he hopes people come away with the message that sometimes you just have to think about the greater good rather than yourself. He told us this film is even more about family and friendships.
Question 13: What is your favorite music in the first one?
“Definitely One More Chance. Then Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. Those would definitely be my two. It would be hard to pick between the two. But also Cherry Bomb, like whenever we think of the first film, we always sing it on the set. Zoe will start singing it and it’s like I really love that song.”
It was a pleasure interviewing Dave Bautista!
SEE DAVE BAUTISTA IN THE ROLE OF DRAX WHEN GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY HITS THEATRES ON MAY 5th!