Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista are currently two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) most recognizable faces, having portrayed key members of the Guardians of the Galaxy since 2014. The chemistry between them and the rest of the cast has always been incredible, and this group have always remarked how much they enjoy working with each other.
As far as anyone can tell, Bautista and Saldana get along well on and off camera. However, one can’t help but wonder exactly how close they are in real life.
They First Met When They Joined Marvel
Prior to joining Marvel, Saldana had already starred in several hit films. Her acting credits go way back to 1999 and she ultimately gained acclaim following her performance in James Cameron’s Avatar and J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek franchise. On the other hand, Bautista first rose to fame as a WWE star before deciding to transition to film.
As it turns out, Saldana and Bautista had never crossed paths and interestingly, they were among the last Guardians of the Galaxy cast members to meet. This left Bautista rather apprehensive and even admitted that he was “intimidated at first.” This was because he had a “bad experience” with another lead actress who “complained about everything, b****** about everything, bad bad bad, just diva, me me me, give me this, give me that.” When it came to Saldana, however, Bautista’s first meeting with her was a lot more chill.
“My first experience with her was when we drove up for rehearsals and my driver said, ‘That’s Zoe in the car behind us,’” Bautista recalled while speaking with ComicBook.com. “She jumped out of the car and shouted ‘Batista!’ and gave me a big hug right off the bat.” It also turns out that Saldana thought Bautista was a Latino. “And I said, ‘Oh really, you’re one of those Latinos,’” Saldana said as she continued the story. “And he said, ‘No! I’m not Latino.’”
As they continued to work together, Saldana and Bautista also formed a tight bond. Bautista remarked, “And then we go to know each other, and she learned I was going to be the quiet guy and accepted me for that.” Saldana also added, “You just want to climb up on him and have a conversation on his shoulder. I always waited for him to finish eating and then ate his leftovers.” In addition, Bautista also revealed that he always got a kick out of watching Saldana and co-star Chris Pratt behind the scenes. “I told her and Chris that my most fun on set was watching those two interact with each other,” Bautista explained. “A lot of times when we were not shooting, they burst into some kind of song and dance routine, were singing and laughing, they’re both so witty.”
Aside from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, the co-stars also shared some memorably hilarious scenes in Avengers: Infinity War. The actors also starred in Avengers: Endgame although their scenes were more limited.
Following the release of Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Saldana and Bautista also promoted their films together. In fact, the two actors attended a New York screening of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 back in May 2017. They were also joined by co-star Pom Klementieff and guests like Abrams, and Sofia Richie.
Early On, She Gave Him A Really Valuable Piece Of Advice
Since joining the MCU, Bautista has also been busy with projects outside of the MCU. Most notably, he leads the cast in the Zack Snyder horror film Army of the Dead for Netflix. The actor was also spotted in Sydney a few months ago, leading to speculation that Bautista will appear in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder. (Several other Guardians of the Galaxy cast members were seen hanging around in Sydney although there had been no sighting of Saldana). Aside from these films, Bautista has also been linked to several other upcoming projects.
Perhaps, Saldana has always known that Bautista would make it big in the movies. And being a Hollywood veteran, she was in the best position to give her fellow actor some helpful advice when it comes to the movie business. “Zoe Saldana, um, early in my career said that that would be, that I should be careful directors that I work with,” Bautista revealed while speaking with Joblo. “Be very picky and choosy about the directors. And that's always in the back of my head.”
Saldana and Bautista are set to reprise their MCU characters in the recently confirmed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. And before they even go to work on that, the stars are also expected to reunite for James Gunn’s The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. That only means, fans can expect to be treated to more Gamora and Drax scenes. At the same time, there’s a always a chance that the two would do a non-MCU film together.
