Why Jason Momoa Chose Not To Audition For Drax In Guardians Of The Galaxy

At the time, Dave Bautista was emerging from the professional wrestling world, with "Guardians of the Galaxy" proving to be his big breakthrough in Hollywood. He's since become a downright fascinating actor in his own right, starring in films like "Knock at the Cabin" and "Dune" (alongside Jason Momoa, actually) that display his range far beyond the tough guys. It's an enviable career, built entirely on the back of Drax.

That said, things have also gone incredibly well for Momoa. A year after turning down Drax, he was cast as Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, starting with an appearance in 2016's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," then continuing with starring roles in "Justice. League" in 2017 and the 2018 record "Aquaman." The actor has since flexed his chops on stuff like the Apple TV+ series "See" and the Netflix movie "Slumberland." In that same 2014 interview, Momoa explained that his decision was more important than just a role:

"I want my kids to see their dad happy. It's not that it's not a good role, it just wasn't the right thing. I starred in 'Stargate: Atlantis' for four years playing a similar character called Ronon, who was an alien who didn't say much and growled. I went there and did that whether people saw it or No. You want to stretch."

In the end, it's hard to imagine things could have worked out better for Momoa and Bautista. They're both remarkably successful, and they're even developing a buddy movie to play together. Everything is fine.