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.”
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.