David Dastmalchian Talks the Similarities Between Making The Dark Knight, Ant-Man, and The Suicide Squad

David Dastmalchian is no stranger to the world of comic book films. One of the actor’s first roles was playing the Joker’s thug in The Dark Knight before going on to appear as Kurt Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp. Now, the actor is making headlines for his fan-favorite performance as Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad. Dastmalchian recently had a chat with Vulture and talked about his history with comic book movies. When asked how the films were different, the actor revealed he thinks of them more as “simpatico” experiences.

“Because I’m on the inside of those experiences, it’s only when I step back and see the projects in their totality that I can recognize the differences. As someone who’s on set, there’s much more in common than there is different. What they have in common is getting to be around people who are at the height of their game, for lack of a better term. People working both in front of and behind the camera who are stars of what they do. How wonderful that experience continues to be. It makes me go, Wow, it’s no wonder this person is a star. They’re just so incredibly good at what they do. And the passion and the childlike kind of imaginative commitment that every one of the creators behind these has had, I find very similar. Now obviously styles differ from person to person, but I find much more simpatico than different,” Dastmalchian explained.

“The craft techniques have evolved significantly,” he added. “The Dark Knight was shot on film and it was a massive production. My first day on set, it felt like close to a thousand background actors, no joke. All of the police in uniform, all of the crowd standing by, all of the participants in the parade sequence, which was everyone from Gary Oldman to Maggie Gyllenhaal, to every other actor in the film basically. I was watching Chicago’s financial district basically being completely shut down so this massive movie could be made there. It was huge.”

Dastmalchian continued, “Going to Ant-Man, seeing them re-create San Francisco in Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, and then seeing them bring down an entire Pym Laboratories with a giant tank exploding out of a building, that was certainly something I’d never seen done before. This beautiful blending of digital and practical effects was really eye-opening. And humbling for me as an actor, like: My God, I feel so tiny. And then with James [Gunn], what was really unique was his commitment to the number of practical effects. And all the techniques that have been learned from the shrinking of the camera — they could get in all the nooks and crannies while at the same time expanding the world. I mean, he built a full jungle on a stage. He built an entire beach outside of Pinewood Studios with a working ocean. That scale, I’d never experienced before.”

The Suicide Squad is now playing in theatres and is available to watch on HBO Max.