Dave Bautista was "taken aback" when he was offered a part in 'Dune'.

Dave Bautista

Dave Bautista

The 52-year-old actor will play the role of Glossu Raban in Denis Villeneuve's long-awaited sci-fi movie, which covers the first part of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, and the exciting opportunity made the former WWE star realise the progress he's made as an actor.

Dave said: "We tracked that movie for months because I wanted to be a part of it so bad.

"I never reached out, because I don't want to be that guy, like, 'Hey, Denis, is there a part for me?' I never wanted to be that guy. But he actually called me, he didn't say anything like, 'So there's this part...' He just straight up asked me if I would come and play this part.

"I was so taken aback I didn't even know what to say, except for, obviously, 'yes'."

The 'Guardians of the Galaxy' actor expressed his pride that Denis had asked him to star in such a highly-anticipated movie – as David Lynch's 1984 original film has developed a cult following.

Dave told Collider: "Moments like that really gauge how far I've come, as an actor. There's a lot of pride in it for me that a director like Denis would call like that and offer me a role in a film that I know is going to be enormous. Because people have been waiting for this for years and years and years. And people are so passionate about the novels.

"So for him to offer me such an integral part of this film, for me, it was a personal statement. I can't purchase that type of emotion, that sense of pride. These are the few moments in life where I get that, where I feel like my life is worth something, I did something with my life. My life means something."