Dave Bautista has quickly made a name for himself as one of Hollywood's biggest stars of the past few years. Since his turn as Drax the Destroyer in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, the man formerly known as the Animal in the WWE has been ever-present in the film world, appearing in blockbusters from the James Bond film Spectre to the modern masterpiece Dune. Before that big break in 2014 though, he was mostly taking fringe roles in shows like Smallville and Chuck in an effort to make a career for himself in acting. According to Rob McElhenney, he nearly landed a recurring role in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia back in 2006.
During the latest episode of the Always Sunny Podcast, McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton were discussing the episode "Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad" when the subject of Mac's (McElhenney) dad came up. The episode sees the introduction of Luther MacDonald played by Gregory Scott Cummins, a veteran character actor who pulled off the cold, terrifying demeanor of Mac's jailbird dad. McElhenney revealed, however, that one of the four finalists for the role went on to become a massive star. Howerton and Day couldn't remember who all auditioned when McElhenney reminded them that Bautista showed up for the part.
"Get out of here!" Howerton said wide-eyed, adding that he thought Bautista was "way too young" for the part. Bautista is only 53, a mere nine years older than McElhenney which would have made it difficult to shoehorn him in as Mac's father in the show, though Day remarked that they also had to age up the 65-year-old Cummins for the part. Despite the gap, Bautista impressed the crew enough to garner serious consideration. All told, it could've been a perfect fit. Luther and Drax are somewhat similar characters that come off as tough and brutish but with a considerate underside. Alas, the dream of Bautista, McElhenney, and Day on screen together wasn't meant to be.
From there, the gang went on about the episode and what went into it all. Despite how perfect Baustista would've been as the frequently recurring father of Mac in hindsight, Cummins still nailed the role and Bautista had a perfectly fine career afterward. He's got a lot of work set up for the near future with Dune 2, as well as spots in M. Night Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Knives Out 2, and an as of now untitled buddy cop movie with fellow Hollywood giant Jason Momoa.
Check out the video below to hear the gang talk about Bautista nearly joining It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the process behind the episode.