People are expressing shock over Dave Bautista's appearance on the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

The former pro-wrestler-turned-actor looked almost unrecognizable to fans when spotted at the premiere of his new film, The Last Showgirl, at TIFF on Friday, September 6

Bautista, 55, posed for blogTO on the red carpet in a black suit over a black shirt with a low-cut neckline, strings of pearls and black sunglasses.

But it was the actor's trimmed-down physique that caused alarm among fans, leading to questions about Bautista potentially cutting weight for a role, his dieting choices or even his exposure to the Hollywood entertainment scene.

Fareen Karim.

Bautista has revealed that his weight loss (or, more specifically, muscle loss) journey is indeed part of preparation for a starring role as a veteran assassin in his latest film, The Killer's Game.

In an August interview with YouTuber Chris Van Vliet, Bautista explained that, at 240 lb, "this is probably the lightest I have been since I was 19 years old."

Dave Bautista demonstrates that it is never too late to make a meaningful life change through hard work. pic.twitter.com/hOq4raRfm7

— Universe (@OhUniverse_) September 8, 2024

Bautista's impressive transformation didn't happen overnight, beginning after the actor's 2022 role in M. Knight Shyamalan's Knock At The Cabin. When Bautista played that role, he weighed 315 lb, and soon after embarked on a weight loss journey he describes as a "nightmare."

The actor says that at his wrestling peak, he weighed a staggering 370 lb, meaning he is now an entire 130 lb lighter than his maximum weight.