David Dastmalchian: US Actor on his newest film 'Late Night with the Devil'

Well known for his roles in some of the biggest films of the last decade, David Dastmalchian is a familiar face on the screen. 

Dune Part One, Oppenheimer, The Dark Knight, and Bird Box are just some of the films on his filmography, not to mention his involvement in superhero films The Suicide Squad and Ant-Man. 

His latest work is Late Night with the Devil, a film he’s not only starring in but produced as well, with a rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Growing up in Kansas, Dastmalchian was quite the talented American football player, and whilst he loved theatre he was expecting his university experience to start feature college football, until a teacher convinced him otherwise. 

“She said, 'David, you have something special,'” he recounted to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking. 

She told him to at least try auditioning for a training program at an acting conservatory, to which he was not only accepted, but was granted a full scholarship. 

“It completely changed my life.” 

Dastmalchian is used to playing the antagonist; bad guys, villains, henchmen, and psychopaths, and was initially unsure that he could pull off the leading role in Late Night with the Devil.  

He fell in love with the story in the initial reading of the script, but the first thing he said to directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes was that they had the wrong guy. 

“There’s no way that me, David Dastmalchian, could be compelling, or, or captivating, or even convincing as a late-night talk show. That’s just not wheelhouse.” 

The Cairnes convinced him to give it a shot, so despite his fears he packed up and shot the film. 

“I’m so proud of myself,” he told Hosking. 

“That might sound like a dumb thing to say, but I’m proud I overcame my fear to go do this film because I’m really proud of this movie and I’m really happy that I made it.” 

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