Unforgettable Interview with Dave Batista

Okay, enough waterworks over Les Miserables. It's time to go into some hardcore action, and this time, we home into The Man With The Iron Fists movie. What makes this so noteworthy for me is the fact the Dave Batista, a.k.a. The Animal has a starring role in this flick. Does he transition well onto the big screen after mauling opponent after opponent in the wrestling ring? The movie starts showing on January 30, released and distributed by UIP through Solar Entertainment Corp.

I was one of the lucky ones who got to interview this half-Filipino wrestler when he visited Manila a few years ago, and it was with some alacrity that I entered the room where the exclusive interviews were being held. It was my first time to see a wrestling superstar up close, and I was a bit nervous about my questions, since they did not dwell on stats, moves, and such, unlike the sports reporters who came before me. 

As it turned out, my fears were unfounded -- he was a really nice guy! His large hand engulfed my scawny one in a firm handshake, and he seemed so relaxed and pleasantly surprised at the questions I threw at him. He commented from time to time, "that's a good question", and pondered carefully over his answers. 

I asked him about concerns over kids copying his wrestling moves. To which he replied that he is very concerned about that, and he always tells his young fans that these are done by professionals who have had many years of practice, and should never-ever be imitated by kids.

My parting question to this towering hunk of muscle and mass was "what makes a man a real man?" -- yes, I confess that I am known in my industry as the one who asks what they call "Miss Universe" questions. He actually looked pleased that I asked him that, and he says, "it is not about being strong enough to beat up anybody. A real man is someone who is not afraid to show his feelings." that totally blew me away, and made me a really big fan!

Here's more about the movie, where he is billed as David Bautista: The Man With the Iron Fists is an action-adventure inspired by kung fu classics as interpreted by his longtime collaborators RZA and Eli Roth.  Making his feature-film debut as a director, co-writer and leading man, RZA—alongside an exciting international cast led by Russel Crowe as Jack Knife and Lucy Liu as Madam Blossom—tells the epic story of warriors, assassins and a lone outsider hero who all descend on one fabled village in China for a winner-takes-all battle for a fortune in gold. Blending astonishing martial arts sequences from some of the masters of this world, with the signature vision he brings as the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan and as one of hip-hop’s most dominant figures of the past two decades, RZA embarks upon his most ambitious, stylized and thrilling project to date.