During a special panel at Wondercon honoring David Dastmalchian. The Suicide Squad alumni reflected on his career, focusing on pivotal moments, including his experience filming The Dark Knight.
David Dastmalchian’s feature film debut was as Thomas Schiff, the Joker’s deranged henchman, in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. In 2014, he wrote and starred in the feature film Animals, directed by Collin Schiffli. Four years later, in 2018, he wrote and starred in All Creatures Here Below, also directed by Schiffli. David then returned to the comic-book film universe, playing tech wizard Kurt in Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man, starring opposite Paul Rudd. He reprised this role in the sequel Ant-Man & The Wasp in 2018.
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David’s other feature film appearances include The Belko Experiment, Blade Runner 2049, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, The Suicide Squad, Dune, The Boogeyman, Oppenheimer, Boston Strangler, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, and Late Night with the Devil.
During the panel, David reflected on his experience working with Heath Ledger on The Dark Knight, describing it as surreal. He recalled their first meeting, noting that Heath was “warm, humble, quiet, and soft-spoken.” Yet, when it came time to perform, Heath had an incredible ability to “turn the knobs,” fully immersing himself in the character before effortlessly reverting to his calm demeanor once the scene ended. When asked about actors he immediately clicked with and those he didn’t, Dastmalchian first mentioned Ledger, as The Dark Knight was his first film. “He carried the spirit of an actor I still aspire to be,” he said, recalling how Heath was sweet and funny but could instantly switch into character when the cameras rolled—something Dastmalchian himself struggled with at the time. He also spoke about Paul Rudd, who would meticulously memorize his lines, only to “throw it all out the window” and improvise.
