Love his films or hate them, virtually all accounts point to the idea that Zack Snyder is an absolute joy to work with. Contrary to others like Joss Whedon who face allegations for mistreating their actors, Snyder seems to enjoy a reputation as one of Hollywood's favorite directors, and now Dave Bautista, star of his new film Army of the Dead, has shared some insight into why that is, at least in his case.
"What I love most about Zack is Zack is just super rough around the edges," Bautista said in a recent interview with Collider regarding the well-regarded Army of the Dead. "I'm an athlete and I'd rather be punching something to workout rather than running. I'm that type of guy, and I think Zack is also that type of guy." Contrary to other reports about working with Snyder, which point out how easy he is to work with and how much he respects his actors, Bautista's enjoyment seems to come more from his willingness to get down and dirty for his craft.
The thing is, that also seems to tie in with Snyder's friendly persona. Not only is he the rough and tumble type, but that's just one of the many ways he's able to connect with his actors (though no word on how that works with the CG-added Tig Notaro). "I can find people all day long like that, other fighters, other wrestlers, other guys who are just super rough around the edges," Bautista continued, "but it's really hard for me to find that guy who's also an artist at heart and Zack is an artist at heart." Being able to identify with one's coworkers and colleagues is one of the best ways to work better with them, and having a genuine love for the work that meshes well with someone else's personality really goes a long way in fostering strong bonds like this.
Bautista plays the lead in Army of the Dead, a retired veteran who earned the Medal of Honor for his work in the zombie war. Yes, there was a zombie war. Past tense. Now the zombies are all walled off in Las Vegas and Bautista's character, Scott Ward, lives a quiet life. However, things begin to change when he's offered a job to pull off a heist in the middle of the zombie-infested strip. So it's pretty clear that Army of the Dead isn't just a basic zombie film, and that's likely part of the reason Snyder was perfect for the job.
Snyder has consistently shown respect for his peers in the movie business as well as everyone down to the most casual fans, from his open approval of the idea of a Black Superman to his enthusiastic response to all the fan art and other projects surrounding his recent cut of Justice League. So it's not exactly a huge surprise to find out that persona isn't just a façade. Just like how the way someone treats service workers reveals their true self, the way someone in Hollywood treats their fans and peers has that same quality.
Army of the Dead seems to be enjoying some decent success from both reviewers and moviegoers alike, and Snyder's earnest approach to filmmaking likely played a part in its quality. Hopefully, other directors can follow his lead in that regard, though maybe a little less of the #ReleaseTheSnyderVerse fan hypocrisy in the future would be nice.
Army of the Dead is currently streaming on Netflix and is now playing in select theaters.
Source: Collider