Suicide Squad actor David Dastmalchian can actually identify with Polka-Dot Man

You may not know him by name, but if you’re a fan of superhero movies, you’ve definitely seen David Dastmalchian. This weekend he appears as the hapless super villain Polka-Dot Man in James Gunns The suicide squad.

But the actor started his career not so long ago in Christopher Nolans The dark knight. Between then and now, he starred in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a member of the crew of Scott Lang in both Ant-Man films that appeared in Gotham and The Lightning (as super villain Abra Kadabra) and speaks the villain Calendar Man in Warner Bros. ‘ animated adaptation of The long Halloween.

As a lifelong comic book fan myself (he even wrote his own comic series). I’ve now won the lottery, probably a dozen times if I’ve counted up. ”

Still, Abner Krill, the deeply dejected, (literally) point-spitting convict of The suicide squad, has a special place in his heart.

“It was deeply delightful for me to meet someone who is so plagued by self-doubt and so lost in the world,” Dastmalchian told Polygon on the phone. I think it’s something we can all relate to in such an intimate way. […] Abner doesn’t feel like he really has much to live by when introduced in this movie, and he doesn’t really have much. He’s the butt of the joke, so to speak. I felt that way. We all felt that way. We’ve all been to a place where it is Why I’m here? What am I doing? What is the purpose of my talents? And if I have any, are they actually valid, viable, or of any use to the world? ”

Polka-Dot Man’s talents have been adapted a bit from his comic book incarnation for the film. Instead of hiding a cleverly shrunk weapon or tool in every single polka-dot of his costume, Abner can shoot a spray of dots from his hands that dissolve anything they touch. And if he doesn’t score points at least twice a day, he’ll develop a bulbous rash with spots and vomit instead.

But Dastmalchian prides himself on his cosmically cursed character – for him Polka-Dot Man may be the worst villain world, but he’s the best the history of the suicide squad has to offer.

“There’s a list out there somewhere [where Polka Dot Man is] chosen like, the worst villain […] and man, what a badge of honor. What a wonderful character to tell a story about because these are all those characters. That’s the nice thing about The suicide squad, the beauty of [John] Ostrander run away. That’s the beauty of what James Gunn can do to help. ”

And for Dastmalchian, we’re all on suicide squad.

Pictured: Warner Bros. Pictures

“These are characters that are thrown away. You are discarded. It’s like when you succeed in the mission, great. You could get some time off from your sentence. If you don’t, you’re dead, and if you don’t do what we want, you’re dead anyway. That’s how many of us feel in the world. How can you not be part of the system in which we all live and in which we have to exist without feeling completely dispensable? Once you’re a liability for the corporate structure, once you’re a liability for the system, once you have a liability for, you know man – I don’t mean our heads are necessarily going to explode, but we can just be thrown away as if we were we nothing in this society. And that’s a terrifying reality. ”

As a mostly joking question, I asked Dastmalchian whether The suicide squad the R rating for nudity (among other things) had something to do with Polka-Dot Man.

“I can’t confirm or deny polka nudity,” he replied boldly, but even that created a strong bond between him and Polka-Dot Man.

“I grew up with and have an autoimmune disease called vitiligo,” said Dastmalchian. “It’s a condition that affects pigmentation in my body. I am covered in polka dots from head to toe. As a kid I was teased and nicknamed, and as an adult it made fun of the fact that I have these big, blotchy spots on my body. And James [Gunn] I didn’t know that about myself, but when I was cast as Polka-Dot Man, I finally got into my Polka-Dots. I’m proud of her now and have turned my previously crippling insecurity into something that I think makes me unique and different. I am proud of them and I try not to cover them up anymore. It was also very cool for me to bring this personal point of view into Abner. ”