David Dastmalchian on childhood fears, found family, and the heart of Dust Bunny.
David Dastmalchian has built a career on playing characters at the edge of fear, imagination, and humanity. In Dust Bunny, Bryan Fuller’s feature directorial debut, these themes intersect in a genre-bending fantasy both intimate and epic. In a recent conversation with Nerdtropolis, Dastmalchian explained why the film resonated with him and continues to linger long after viewing.
Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan, Sigourney Weaver, and Dastmalchian, Dust Bunny follows a 10-year-old girl who believes a monster killed her family. When no one believes her, she turns to her mysterious neighbor — a hitman who kills real monsters — setting off a visually inventive and emotionally charged journey.
A Story Rooted in Childhood Fear
From the moment he read the script, Dastmalchian said the emotional core stood out. “So the fact that all of us can relate to how it feels when you’re a kid and something is scaring you so badly that it feels life-threatening and no one believes you, no one will listen,” he said.
That idea, he explained, does not disappear with age. “Now, does that continue to happen into adulthood? Absolutely,” Dastmalchian said. “There is something horrible happening, there’s something scaring me, there’s something I am carrying around — a secret or a fear — and I don’t know how to communicate to people so that they’ll listen.”
For Dastmalchian, that relatability is what makes Dust Bunny work across generations. “As soon as I read it, I was like, this is going to check every box,” he said, calling the film “that awesome horror-action-fantasy film that is, in my humble opinion, a four-quadrant film.”
Bryan Fuller’s Vision and Emotional Precision
Transitioning to Fuller’s direction, Dastmalchian praised the filmmaker’s ability to tell deeply emotional stories through heightened genre worlds. “Marrying the artistry and the humanity and the heart of a story like Bryan Fuller’s with all the elements that we love about monsters and hitmen and cool battle sequences — this is that cacophony of all this stuff that we love,” he said.
Moreover, he noted how Fuller balances spectacle with sincerity. “That’s the really heavy undertheme dressed in this beautiful, elaborate, extravagant, fantastical world of hitmen and cool battles and monsters,” Dastmalchian said. “Oh my God, it’s perfect.”
Working With Legends and Finding the Film’s Heart
Sharing the screen with Mikkelsen and Weaver was another major draw. Dastmalchian singled out Weaver’s fearless approach to her work. “She continues to deliver one performance after the next,” he said. “Here is a woman who is still unafraid of making big, bold, brilliant choices with the support of someone like Bryan Fuller. That’s the kind of actor I want to be.”
Despite its darker themes, Dust Bunny carries a surprising amount of humor and warmth. For that reason, Dastmalchian believes the film works perfectly as a holiday release. “It’s a perfect holiday film,” he said. “This movie has something for everybody. It’s very effing funny, and it has a beating heart that is deeply emotional.”
A Holiday Movie That Lingers
Ultimately, Dust Bunny aims to remind audiences why movies matter. “We need to talk about our fears more often,” Dastmalchian said. “The world is a scary place, and it’s also a beautiful place. And movies make us feel a little bit less alone.”
He added that the film offers an ideal escape during a busy season. “As you’re going about your very busy holiday season and you’re needing an escape to another world, I can’t imagine a better place for you to go than into the world of Bryan Fuller’s Dust Bunny,” he said.
Before wrapping up, Dastmalchian made it clear there is plenty more ahead. “Yeah, let’s talk,” he said with a laugh. “We’ve got One Piece to talk about. We’ve got, obviously, Street Fighter to talk about. I’ve got a couple of new comics coming, I’m so proud of… so let’s keep talking.”
For those looking for a film that blends fantasy, fear, and heart, and rewards a big-screen viewing, Dastmalchian believes Dust Bunny is one worth discovering together.
Dust Bunny opens in theaters Dec. 12.
Read more News on Nerdtropolis. Subscribe to our YouTube.
Discover more from Nerdtropolis - Movie News, Reviews, Interviews, and Trailers
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Sean Tajipour
Sean Tajipour is the Founder and Editor of Nerdtropolis and the host of the Moviegoers Society and Reel Insights Podcast. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association. You can follow on Twitter and Instagram @Seantaj.
