David Dastmalchian dies a lot in movies. He’s been killed by Dracula, The Boogeyman, Starro, and a replicant, and he’s been impaled, crushed, hung, stabbed, and shot. It’s something that the actor is clearly used to at this point in his career… but even with that experience, he hasn’t missed out on a heaping dose of FOMO (fear of missing out) amid the release of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two.
Those who watched Dune: Part One will remember that Dastmalchian portrayed Piter de Vries – the Mentat for Baron Vladimir Harkonnen who is killed when Duke Leto Atreides tries to assassinate the leader of House Harkonnen with a poison gas capsule embedded in his tooth. Because Piter died, the actor didn’t have a part to play in the sequel, and when I recently spoke with him, he explained how he’s feeling amid the blockbuster’s massive theatrical release:
Feel a lot of FOMO right now for sure. I wish I could be there with my Harkonnen and even my Atreides friends and family, but most importantly, I wish I could be there with Denis [Villeneuve] and just see the pride in his eyes and the smile on his face as crowds and crowds and millions of people get to experience this incredible achievement that he has manifested.
David Dastmalchian’s newest movie, Late Night With The Devil, is arriving in theaters later this month, but when I got to speak with him late last week on the eve of Dune: Part Two arriving in theaters, I felt compelled to ask about his time on Arrakis. He has some conflicted feelings, but it has little to do with the fact that he’s not in the critically acclaimed sequel/part of the outstanding ensemble cast. Instead, he wishes that he could be with writer/director Denis Villeneuve as his incredible achievement is celebrated around the globe.
In addition to Dune: Part One, Dastmalchian previously worked with Villeneuve on both Prisoners and Blade Runner 2049… and the character he plays dies in all of them (it’s a run reminiscent of Steve Buscemi’s time in Joel and Ethan Coen movies in the 1990s). He may not be in the French-Canadian filmmaker’s latest work, but the actor is immensely proud of everything that he has accomplished in bringing Frank Herbert’s beloved novel to the big screen. He continued,
[Denis Villeneuve] is such a special human being. And I just wish I could be there to hug him and watch the movie with him with entire cinemas full of fans because I know, I know how much he's given to make this thing happen. And I know that it has been, you know, his life's work has led to this moment, and I'm so happy.
Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more from my interview with David Dastmalchian as we get closer to the release of Late Night With The Devil, which will be arriving in theaters on March 22. Meanwhile, you can Dune: Part Two in cinemas everywhere right now, as the film just had the biggest box office opening of 2024 this past weekend.
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