Army Of The Dead Star Omari Hardwick On Why Dave Bautista Is 'Forever A Brother And A Friend'

Part of Dave Bautista and Omari Hardwick's preparation for "Army of the Dead" included weapons training with ex-Navy SEALs. Considering the company the actors were in, Hardwick said he was humbled by the praise Bautista heaped on him on social media after the drills. "He sent a picture to me and I thought, 'That was a very slick move you did there, buddy.' And he was like, 'What?' And I said, 'You posted this picture of us where we're out at gun training and we're just shooting at a range,' again, with those Navy SEAL operatives," Hardwick recalled for Looper. "And he put in the post the caption that reads something like, "Omari is the real deal." That's what he said, 'He's the real deal' ... and I'm like, 'What are you talking?' I said, 'The real deal? You're the real deal.'"

Hardwick likened the way the "Guardians of the Galaxy" star instilled confidence in him to the way Rocky had Paulie's back in "Rocky," or when "Michael Jordan would walk up to Scottie Pippen and go, 'You got it, you got it.'" "It's like when you imbue your right-hand man with that sort of — or your right-hand woman — with that sort of confidence," Hardwick said. "My character already knows what he brings to the table. But for me to know that he felt like I had his back, and that I was a 'real deal' like that? Man, that set the tone for what we'd be and what we still are."

Bautista gave another indicator of the pair's bond on a recent Zoom call.