David Dastmalchian has starred in some of Hollywood's biggest film franchises, from the MCU (Ant-Man) and DC (The Suicide Squad) to Denis Villeneuve's Dune universe. However, he still has two dream roles that he hasn't been able to play yet – the Joker, and a Bond Villain.
Talking to Collider during the Saturn Awards last weekend, the actor opened up about his "greatest career dreams", with Joker being on the top of his list.
"I know we're just kidding around here, but I would love it. I think some people go 'Hamlet is my life's quest,' or 'Willy Loman is my life's quest.' Getting to put on the makeup of the Clown Prince of Crime at some point in my lifetime is up there next to one of my greatest career dreams, which is to be an enemy of James Bond."
Coincidentally, Dastmalchian made his film debut in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight playing one of the Joker's henchmen, so he was actually very close to one of his biggest professional goals.
The actor has an incredibly extensive acting history in the superhero world. After The Dark Knight, he went on to play the Polka Dot Man in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, Kurt Goreshter in the MCU's Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, Dwight Pollard on Gotham, and Abra Kadabra on The Flash. He has also voiced several DC characters in animation, most notably Calendar Man in the two parts of Batman: The Long Halloween.
Dastmalchian certainly has the experience and the acting skills to play such a demanding role as the Joker, particularly after seeing his electrifying performance in 2024's horror gem Late Night with the Devil. However, both Joker and James Bond villains are highly coveted roles, so he will have plenty of competition.
For now, the actor is set to star in new psychological thriller Kodak SuperXX, alongside Star Wars: The Last Jedi actor Kelly Marie Tran. The film will mark the directorial debut of Auden Bui, and has already been compared to Dan Gilroy's Nightcrawler.
While we wait to see if Dastmalchian's dreams come true, check out our list of upcoming DC movies and TV shows.
