David Dastmalchian On ‘Murderbot,’ ‘The Life Of Chuck,’ Writing ‘Creature Commandos,’ ‘Dexter: Resurrection’ & More [Bingeworthy Podcast]

David Dastmalchian is having one hell of a year. Whether you know him as Polka-Dot Man from “The Suicide Squad,” Piter from “Dune,” or Jack Delroy from last year’s sleeper horror hit, “Late Night with the Devil,” the actor/writer/comic book creator has made a habit of stealing scenes and bringing unhinged yet human characters to life. And in 2025, that streak continues across a dizzying lineup of passion projects.

In this episode of Bingeworthy, David Dastmalchian joins the show to dig into his wide-ranging work, starting with the new Apple TV+ series “Murderbot,” where he plays Gurathin, an augmented human struggling with control, jealousy, and a deep need to protect his crew—even when they don’t listen. The show, created by Paul and Chris Weitz and based on the beloved comedic sci-fi book series by Martha Wells, stars Alexander Skarsgård as the titular security unit: a rogue robot just trying to live and watch its stories in peace.

READ MORE: ‘Murderbot’ Review: Alexander Skarsgård’s Sci-Fi Satire Is One Of Apple TV+’s Weirder Shows

During the chat, Dastmalchian talks about how personal the character of Gurathin became, drawing from his own experience to embody a man driven by logic and love in equal measure. “There were days on that set where it was just like, bring in the Kleenex,” he says. He also praises the collaborative tone set by the cast and creators: “We were there lifting each other up and supporting one another personally, while as scene partners, we were trying to elevate and support one another. And it was a beautiful alchemy.”

Dastmalchian also has a memorable cameo in Mike Flanagan’s upcoming film “The Life of Chuck”, which host Mike DeAngelo calls his “favorite movie of the year.” Though Dastlmalchian’s appearance is brief, it greatly impacted him: “I sat in the audience and wept. I was so deeply moved by it. The way Mike [Flanagan] constructed it and the performance Tom [Hiddleston] gave and the entire cast… it just gutted me.”

He’s also gearing up for a big role in “Dexter: Resurrection,” where he promises a surprising departure from expectations. “It’s not what you’re expecting,” he says. “It’s one of those things where I think people will be like, ‘Wait a second… is that David?’ I hope they are.”

Later this year, he’ll be uniting his nerdiness with writer/director Bryan Fuller (“Hannibal,” “American Gods”). Dastmalchian stars in Fuller’s upcoming “insane, imaginative” creature feature “Dust Bunny” alongside Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver. “It’s [a monster movie], but it’s its own thing, man,” he says. “Bryan’s doing something completely different, and I think people will be really surprised by what we created.”

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On the comics and animation front, Dastmalchian is also keeping busy. He’s writing for the current comic book run of “Creature Commandos,” which also has an animated DC series that ties into James Gunn’s rebooted universe. He also has new comic titles with Marvel & Image Comics, including “Venomverse” and the recently released “Knights vs. Samurai”, allowing him to tap into his love of monsters, misfits, and moral complexity.

Despite the chaos, Dastmalchian sees it all as a gift. “My friend likes to call it nerd-vana…[I’m] basically in like a baby pool of gratitude,” he says. “I just said like, I can’t believe my life.”

Apple TV+ is currently airing new episodes of “Murderbot” weekly through July. “The Life of Chuck” will be expanded to theaters nationwide on June 13th. “Dexter: Resurrection” premieres on Paramount+ on July 11th. Listen to the entire interview with David Dastmalchian below: 

Bingeworthy is part of The Playlist Podcast Network, which includes Deep Focus, The Discourse, and more. We can be heard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and most places where podcasts are found. You can stream the podcast via the embed within the article.. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for listening.

Mike DeAngelo

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