Dave Bautista has been referred to by those who know him as a “gentle giant.” Always humble and eager to spread positivity, he’s easily one of the nicest guys in Hollywood, so it comes as no surprise that he’s more than willing to heap praise upon his co-stars every chance he gets. Case in point: Henry Cavill. Bautista stars alongside the former Superman and The Witcher star in the reboot of the cult classic 80s fantasy action movie, Highlander, and recently sat down with MovieWeb to speak on a number of topics, including why Cavill’s attitude supersedes his talent.
“He’s easily not only one of the hardest actors I’ve ever seen work, but he’s also a real gentleman,” Bautista told MovieWeb’s own Joe Deckelmeier. For those that have been following Cavill’s career for a while, that shouldn’t come as a shock, as the British actor is regularly known for being gracious with fans, and for being a true professional on-set. That’s why Bautista can’t stop singing the praises of Cavill, because for him, being a stand-up guy means more than anything else:
“[He’s] polite and so courteous to people. There’s no difference. He’s not a big movie star, and you’re just on the crew, or you’re just a stuntman. There’s none of that. I can’t say enough good things about him as a human being and the way he treats other people. And that means more to me than talent.”
Bautista further sang the praises of Cavill when speaking about the injury the star suffered while training to take on the role of Connor MacLeod in Highlander. It was another huge setback for the production, but one that Cavill handles with grace:
“Now guess what he’s doing? He’s busting his ass to get healed up and come back and do it all over again, because that’s what professional athletes do. This is a guy; he is training like a professional athlete. But he is grinding, man. And he looks like it, too. He looks like he’s a professional athlete.”
‘Highlander’ Will Be Worth the Wait
After years of lingering in development hell, the Highlander reboot finally started to gain some traction this year when the rights were scooped up by Amazon MGM Studios. Filming was slated to get underway in September, but that was before Cavill injured himself during training. Now, production has been pushed back to early 2026, but the action reboot will be worth the wait.
Bautista is the perfect casting choice for The Kurgan, as is Cavill to portray MacLeod. Seeing the two stars do battle with one another is going to make fans forget about all those past problems with the film, especially when you consider the former pro wrestler has referred to the reboot as an “elevated” and “stylized” movie that will be different from the original, but maintain the same spirit.
As we await the recovery of Cavill so that things can finally get moving again on Highlander, be sure to check out Bautista’s latest action thriller, Trap House, which releases on November 14, 2025.
- Release Date
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November 14, 2025
- Director
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Michael Dowse
- Writers
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Gary Scott Thompson
- Producers
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Michael A. Pruss, Marc Goldberg, Sarah Gabriel, Dave Bautista, Rebecca Feuer, Todd Lundbohm