The 'Conan the Barbarian' actor says he let go of the coveted role because he wants to try out different characters.
- Feb 26, 2014
AceShowbiz - Jason Momoa confirms "Guardians of the Galaxy" audition. The actor tested to play Drax the Destroyer, but he turned it down to avoid portraying repetitive characters. "It didn't really fit in my time because I've done so many things where I don't say much and I'm colored up and I have my shirt off again," he explains to Zap2It.
The role eventually went to pro wrestler Dave Bautista. "I think it's perfectly cast. Dave is perfect for that role, for Drax," the Khal Drogo of "Game of Thrones" says. "I made a conscious choice to turn down some movies that were action-based to direct 'Road to Paloma' so people could see that side."
"I want my children to see their father happy," he adds. "It's not that it's not a good role, it just wasn't the right thing. I was on 'Stargate: Atlantis' for four years playing a similar character called Ronon, who was an alien who didn't say much and grunted. I've been there and done that, whether people have seen it or not. You want to stretch."
The actor then recalls his audition with Chris Pratt. "One of the funnest auditions I've ever done in my life was with him," he says. "He's phenomenal. He's going to kill it. It's going to be amazing. It's a whole Han Solo vibe. It's going to be a phenomenal movie. I'm glad that he is the lead of that. He's funny as hell, man. He can improv; he just acts circles around me. It was really, really fantastic."
Though he rejected the opportunity to join James Gunn's movie, there are some comic book characters he would like to tackle. "There's definitely some, absolutely," he says. "I was a huge comic book fan, and I still am. I'm not going to tell you the ones I collect, because then you'd know."
