Former professional wrestler, Dave Bautista, has been making headlines as the newest James Bond villain to hit the big screen in "Spectre." But before he could get the job as 007's nemesis, he had to pass Sam Mendes' standards for the role of the burly henchman, Mr. Hinx. Which Bautista did so by recreating a particularly ball-breaking scene from "Casino Royale."
Bautista shared in an interview that in order to be considered for the part of Mr. Hinx, he was asked to submit an audition tape of himself playing out the scene in "Casino Royale" where Daniel Craig, as James Bond, was tied to a chair with no bottom and Mads Mikkelsen as the villain Le Chiffre tortured him with a makeshift rope whip.
Apparently, it took director Mendes a few more weeks to finally meet with Bautista and offer him the role, but according to Bautista's sources, Mendes kept going back to his audition reel over the course of selecting just the right man for the part.
And it looks like Mendes picked the perfect actor for the role because "Spectre" has been getting rave reviews at the box office. Even during filming, it was reported that Craig and Bautista gave their fight scenes 100 percent and a freak accident caused the film's star to trip and tear his meniscus.
The production was delayed for two weeks while Craig's arthroscopic surgery recovered which the crew said was actually beneficial to the movie because it gave Mendes the slow down he needed to review the footage that was already shot and assess how to better tell the story.
When Craig was back on set, the fight scene was reportedly re-shot and nearly lead to another injury when Craig landed a punch on Bautista's face and blood started spattering everywhere.
“Oh my God, I broke his nose!” Craig said he thought as his suit got ruined with blood. But Bautista's pro-wrestling background must have made him used to pain and injury as he was unharmed and the filming went on.
"Spectre" will open in theatres on Nov. 6.
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