Actor David Dastmalchian | Letting the Darkness Speak

• 🎧 LISTEN to this 5AM StoryTalk episode as audio here at Substack.

• ▶️ WATCH this episode at YouTube.

• 📖 READ this episode by scrolling down.

• Be sure to listen to David’s bonus episode: “David Dastmalchian Talks ‘Harold and Maude’”.

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Actor, filmmaker, and comic book creator DAVID DASTMALCHIAN (Dune, Late Night with the Devil, Murderbot) joins me to discuss why the most dangerous thing an artist can do is try to “button up” the darkness. Through the lens of his life, career, and bold new graphic novel Through, we explore the thin line between creating a “fortress” of control and finding the courage to let your stories – and your life – remain beautifully unresolved.

For my money, this is a must-listen episode about turning the ugliness of trauma, addiction, and mental health struggles into meaningful, compassionate art. It’s also about surviving and the beauty that comes with that — which we’ll also explore in the bonus episode where David will break down a seminal piece of art from his life, the 1971 film Harold and Maude.

Please note: Suicide is discussed in this episode. If you’re struggling or in crisis, I’m sorry - there are numbers you can find on the internet to reach out to if you don’t feel you can turn to those close to you. Don’t wait.

ON THE ITINERARY:

• AVOIDING ARCHETYPAL ANTAGONISTS: Why fully fleshed-out villains, like those in Frank Herbert’s Dune, are essential for a story to feel truly justified and human. 🏜️

• THE MONSTER WITHIN: How the horror genre provides a safe place to confront not just the “dark outside the window,” but the terrifying parts of ourselves we aren’t comfortable talking about. 👹

• THE CREATIVE VACUUM: Why the artist’s best work is done when seeking to overcome fear rather than being driven by it, moving from a state of hyper-vigilance to conscious presence. 👁️

• THE TRUTH ABOUT VULNERABILITY: A raw discussion on addiction, suicide attempts, and the “implosion” of self-control – and how these experiences become the clay for David’s meaningful art. 🩹

• BREAKING ‘THROUGH’: The creative and emotional origins of David’s new graphic novel Through from Z2 Comics and why it’s one of the most personal things he’s ever worked on. 📖

• THE SABOTAGED ENDING: The last-minute phone call that dismantled a “perfect” conclusion to Through because life – and art – is far more honest when it refuses to be buttoned up. 📞

• RADICAL HOPE: How normalizing conversations about the morbid can help us face the “monstrous“ within a capitalist culture that often buries the value of human wellbeing. 🫀

🔒 EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE: HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971)

Be sure to listen to David Dastmalchian’s bonus episode. He returns to discuss a seminal piece of art from his life – Harold and Maude, the 1971 cult classic from screenwriter Colin Higgins and legendary director Hal Ashby. This conversation is going to explain how David became the person — and artist — he is today.

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Learn more about and/or purchase David Dastmalchian’s beautiful graphic novel Through from Z2 Comics here.

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If this podcast episode adds anything to your life but you’re not up for a paid subscription, you can still support my work here by buying me a “coffee”. It’s hugely appreciated - and you might even get a shoutout in the Notes!

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