Dave Bautista was told he was too young for Blade Runner 2049 role

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

At well over six feet and at times pushing 300lbs, the 48-year-old Dave Bautista cuts an imposing figure, which he has worked to his advantage with roles in RIDDICK, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, and SPECTRE, but the actor has become used to being told that he's either too big or too old for certain roles. However, when Dave Bautista auditioned for the role of Sapper Morton in BLADE RUNNER 2049, he was told something he'd never heard before – he was too young.

"Dave was such a charismatic and strong presence, but there was only one problem — he was too young to play that part," BLADE RUNNER 2049 director Denis Villeneuve said. "Throughout my experience in Hollywood, I was either too big or too old," Bautista said. "I had never been told I was too young, and I just didn't know what to say. And then they got in touch with me and asked if I would go through some makeup tests to try and age me. I said, 'Of course.'" Thanks to makeup artist Donald Mowat, Bautista was so successfully transformed that many didn't realize that that wasn't what the actor normally looked like. "People were walking in thinking, 'Oh, I didn't know he was that old,'" Villeneuve added. "And I knew it was a success because people were not seeing the effect of the makeup. They were just seeing an old Dave Bautista."

Although Sapper Morton doesn't have a huge presence in BLADE RUNNER 2049, he does play an important role, and for a little more of Dave Bautista as Sapper, you can check out the prequel short-film 2048: NOWHERE TO RUN above. Although the long-awaited sequel didn't quite generate the box-office success which many were hoping it would, Ridley Scott does have a few ideas up his sleeves for a third film.

I hope so, I think there is another story. I’ve got another one ready to evolve and be developed, so there is certainly one to be done for sure.

BLADE RUNNER 2049 is now available on DVD/Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD.