Suit by Byblos Official
Jacket by Annakiki

Known for his versatile performances in both film and television, David Dastmalchian is an accomplished actor, who continues to make his mark in the industry. He is an award-winning actor, as well as a writer, producer, and is known for his portrayal of suspenseful and chilling characters in a wide range of films. First gaining widespread recognition in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” he has starred in many highly-credited productions including “Dune,” “Prisoners,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “The Suicide Squad,” and of course, the most awarded film at this years Academy Awards, “Oppenheimer.” With a reputation for bringing depth and authenticity to his characters, Dastmalchian is a dynamic force in the entertainment world, captivating audiences with his compelling performances and diverse projects. In the following interview, we get to know the thrilling actor and gain insight into his lead role in the upcoming film “Late Night with the Devil.”

Bodice by On Aura Tout Vu
Shorts by HARRY HALIM
Jewels by RARE-ROMANCE

A quick look at your portfolio underscores your extensive roles in many Academy-nominated films and productions. When you look back, what first sparked your interest in acting?
Looking back at the earliest years I am drawn to this one afternoon. It probably sounds ridiculous, but I was sitting in the Oak Park Mall movie theater, front row, for a matinee with my childhood friend and his mother to watch “The Muppet Movie.” I was probably in preschool. That movie transported me somewhere, and it absolutely changed my life. I wanted to be a part of that story. I wanted to jump up on that screen and go on that adventure with Kermit and his friends to Hollywood. By kindergarten, I dawned a pair of overalls and a broken ukelele and tried to sing the rainbow connection in front of my entire school for the talent show. I forgot the words midway through the second verse and ran off the stage in tears. Although it terrified me, I couldn’t resist the lure and I kept coming back.

While you have played a wide range of characters, there seems to be a theme of horror and thriller-like roles in your roster. What is it that draws you to the more suspenseful parts?
I am at the mercy of casting and just the simple lottery of luck when it comes to the journey of an actor, I guess I have always been a bit like an anti-moth. Instead of being drawn to the light, I’ve been drawn to the dark. Since childhood, I’ve always had a fascination with the late-night creature feature, things that go bump in the dark and might be lurking in the shallows of my closet. All of the mythology and lore of scary stories has been an incredible lens through which I’ve examined tough questions about the human experience. Whether it’s the darkness lurking within the human psyche from writers like Tennessee Williams and Sam Sheperd or the more metaphorical exploration of films like “Dracula,” “The Wolf Man,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” or “The Exorcist,” I can’t help wanting to explore those dark corners and tell stories that move audiences as they confront their collective fears.

Outfit by HARRY HALIM
Boots by pskaufman

Either on-set or off-screen are there any key moments or experiences in your career that have significantly shaped you as an actor?
There are so many key moments and experiences in my career that I find it hard to pinpoint. Sitting behind David Lynch while he directed his “Return to Twin Peaks” was an experience that I never imagined possible. Seeing James Gunn make the most minute and surgical adjustments to my performance, which broke through huge emotional walls as we told a giant superhero story in “The Suicide Squad” was something that lives in my heart always. Being near Denis Villeneuve as he sculpted the world of “Dune,” and watching so many artists flock to his brilliance in so many different settings has been a lesson in filmmaking every single time. In fact, one of the wildest stories from my journey is the first time I stepped foot on a film set. I was in Chicago, and I had been cast in a small role in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight.” I will never forget walking into a hair and makeup trailer for the first time and looking up and down the row of actors who were and are legends. And there I was having to plop down among them and pretend like I belonged. It was humbling and a memory that I can cling on for all of my days.

Your upcoming film, ”Late Night with the Devil” explores the story of a 1977 talk show taping, where things take a turn for the worst. How did this part find you and what attracted you to the part?
I have been friends with extraordinary producer, Roy Lee, for a number of years and we’ve often talked about finding a project on which to collaborate. When he sent me the script and l was booked for the film, I was shocked. I couldn’t imagine any directors could imagine me as a late-night talk show host. Aren't those guys supposed to be charming, funny, and quick-witted? I don’t imagine these are words that spring to people’s heads when they think of me as an actor. Regardless, I cracked open the lookbook that Colin and Cameron Cairnes had created and I was bowled over. It was just incredible. The attention to detail and the understanding of tone and vision was just outstanding. I started reading the script and immediately got a hunger in my belly. I knew that I had to play Jack Delroy and that it was going to be an experience that would make me a better actor or force me to confront the limits of my skills. I guess people will have to see the movie and determine that answer for themselves. As for me, it was an experience that I loved and will cherish always.

**Left:**
Outfit by HARRY HALIM
Boots by Vibram
**Right:**
Suit by On Aura Tout Vu

How do you choose which projects you want to be a part of, and are there specific criteria that guide your decision-making process?
At this point in my career, the most important criteria guiding my decision making is personnel. If I’m going to spend some of this precious time that we have on earth working in the demanding and vulnerable space that is storytelling, it has to be with people whom I can trust and hopefully even love. I am always seeking challenges as an actor, new stories, exciting world building, and challenging opportunities to transport audiences in ways I haven’t gotten to do yet, but the most important thing will always be the collaborators. If someone is a great leader and collaborator as a director, I want to follow them on the voyage.

**Left:**
Jacket by The Last Follies Closet
Pants by HARRY HALIM
Shoes by pskaufman
**Right:**
Outfit by HARRY HALIM

Regarding preparation, how does the role of talk show host Jack Delroy, compare to some of the other roles you’ve played? Were there any challenges you faced getting into character?
Every role I prepare has its own challenges and therefore its own set of tools. I studied acting in Chicago at The Theater School, DePaul University where I learned a myriad ways to access my body, my voice, and recreate emotional states to convince audiences that I was actually feeling and doing certain things. Sometimes that means digesting tons of written material. Sometimes that means sitting in front of hours of film or television footage. Sometimes it's music. Sometimes it’s art. Sometimes it’s physical activity. No matter what the path is, I feel like it changes in almost every role, and yet certain things continue to pop up as great tools to have in my kit. For “Late Night with the Devil,” I must’ve watched several hundred hours of late-night talk shows, from Dick Cavet to David Letterman and Johnny Carson to Conan O’Brien, all the way to the great Australian late-night host Don Lane, who was a major influence on me.

“Late Night with the Devil” takes place in 1977. What is the experience like to play a talk show host in a different era of television?
As I said previously, I watched a great deal of vintage episodes from classic television late night, and I found that the cadence, rhythm, style, tone, and sometimes the outlandish ways in which hosts could get away with engaging their audiences was pretty spectacular. I tried my best to craft a performance that felt authentic and, in the moment, while at the same time being calculated about how this man, this late-night host Jack Delroy, was going to keep an audience in the palm of his hands and save his show.

**Left:**
White Suit by On Aura Tout Vu
**Right:**
Jacket by The Last Follies Closet
Pants by HARRY HALIM
Shoes by pskaufman
Sunglasses by VAVA Eyewear

Having been in many high-budget blockbuster films (“The Dark Knight,” “Dune,” and “Oppenheimer,” to name a few), how do you compare working on more intimate and independent productions like “Late Night with the Devil?”
I have found that the big and small projects can be just as wonderful or just as difficult depending on who is sitting in the position of leadership. Whether it’s a microbudget film or a massive studio picture, when the leader has clarity of vision and the ability to communicate that vision to all of us in the ensemble of artists and craftspeople, the experience is always positive. To me, I am a tool at the service of my director. When my director knows what he or she needs from me and can clearly communicate it in a way that welcomes me to feel safe and comfortable being as vulnerable as I need to be, I’m in my happy place.

**Left:**
White Suit by On Aura Tout Vu
**Right:**
Outfit by HARRY HALIM

Celebrity ambassadors are not uncommon for companies, however your partnership with Titan Caskets is unprecedented. How did this unique opportunity come to be?
I don’t think I ever imagined I would be a brand ambassador for any product, but when the opportunity was presented to help spread the message of Titan Caskets, I was at first attracted because it seemed like a wonderful, funny opportunity to make people scratch their heads a bit and to take another look. I remember some of my heroes, like Vincent Price or Peter Cushing doing print or television ads for different products, and I thought it was so cool. I guess I thought that’s what this was going to be like for me since I have a reputation for working in the genre of horror and darker material. The interesting thing, though, is once I started to know the small family at Titan Caskets and began to understand its mission I became much more seriously engaged with the opportunity. The business of death and dying is so complicated, and there have been so many people and businesses over the years that have taken advantage of people in their hour of need and suffering. The folks at Titan are presenting an incredible product, delivered with incredible love and care at a fraction of the cost because they know it’s not right for people to have to go in debt to memorialize someone they love. Normalizing conversations about death and funerals and end of life is really important, and I want to talk about that as much as I talk about normalizing mental health and education. I don’t know if anyone is listening, but whenever I have the microphone I’d like the opportunity to engage in these kinds of conversations and hopefully make somebody feel a little less alone in the world.

What should fans look forward to with “Late Night with the Devil,” and what’s next for you
I’m so excited for the fans to see the film because it’s not like anything they’ve seen before. There are shades of “Network” and “The Exorcist,” but it is still its own, unique beast. I love it when I see a film and it continues to surprise me at every twist and turn because it’s just not following a similar or familiar formula. That is “The Late Night With the Devil” experience. I’ve recently gotten the opportunity to work with Brian Fuller on his incredible film, “Dust Bunny,” and I can’t wait for people to see that as well as the new Mike Flannigan film, “The Life of Chuck.” I’m so fortunate to be a collaborator and friend with some of the most gifted storytellers of our time, and I continue to be proud of the work we’re doing on our comic book Count Crowley at Dark Horse. I’m also excited that this year we will launch a brand- new comic book with Todd McFarlane and Image called Knights vs Samurai. There's a lot on the way from my new production company and studio, Good Fiend Films, and I will encourage everyone to put on their x-ray specs, get comfy, and prepare for a weird, wonderful show.

Social Media.
https://www.instagram.com/dastmalchian/?hl=en

Suit by On Aura Tout Vu
Sunglasses by VAVA Eyewear

PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director + Photographer + Producer: Mike Ruiz @mikeruiz.one
Talent: David Dastmalchian
Fashion Stylist: Melvin Sanders
Groomer: Raquel Moreno
Photo Assistant: Ozzie Gutierrez & River Chad
Fashion Stylist Assistants: AmbiKa Sanjana Sarah Gibsonn
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Ethan Engh, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Location: FD Studios