“One of the best performances of the year” is how M. Night Shyamalan described his day as an office protagonist in Knock on the hut. For the first time in their respective careers, Shyalaman and Dave Bautista teamed up to bring an apocalyptic, suspenseful thriller to the big screen, one largely set in a single room. This claustrophobic nature of Knock on the hut leaves little room for onscreen talent to hide in the background, as just about all of the film’s characters appear in most scenes. With Bautista as the anchor of the ensemble, this meant that the wrestler turned actor bore the brunt of the dramatic weight during Knock on the hutis 100 minutes.

In conversation with Liam Crowley of ComicBook.com during the Knock on the hut world premiere, Shyamalan describes the journey he and Bautista have taken from the first table read to the finished product.

“It was a process where he believed he was as good as he was,” Shyamalan said. “It really is. Dave is a very humble man and self-deprecating, willing to work extremely hard. There’s a good drive to make yourself better, and then there’s destructive where it starts to hold you back.”

Once he understood Bautista’s humility, Shyamalan noted that he worked hard to make sure his leading man realized his full potential.

“[I was] just to make sure Dave wasn’t holding himself back by not taking risks,” Shyamalan continued. “Dave started to let loose and really take risks during all of our rehearsals. He’s perfect for the role and he was in the perfect place in his life. I think the chemistry with everyone sent him over the top and so by the time we actually started shooting he was ready.”

Shyamalan Bautista’s praise kicks off what will be one of the busiest years of the actor’s career. Following the release of Knock on the hutBautista has a movie premiere at South by Southwest, which then leads into the press tour for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Come autumn, Bautista returns for Dune: part two.

Knock on the hut is in theaters now.