Marvel actor David Dastmalchian has revealed his career ambition is to play Batman’s nemesis The Joker.
Speaking to Collider at the recent Saturn Awards, the actor confessed he would love to take on the role made famous by Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and Joaquin Phoenix among others.
“I know we’re just kidding around here, but I would love it” he said, before explaining: “I think some people go ‘Hamlet is my life’s quest,’ or ‘Willy Loman is my life’s quest.’ Getting to put on the makeup of the Clown Prince of Crime at some point in my lifetime is up there next to one of my greatest career dreams, which is to be an enemy of James Bond.”
Dastmalchian came close to his dream in 2008, when he played a henchman for Ledger’s Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. In Batman TV show Gotham, he also played the character of Dwight Pollard, who was a disciple of Jerome Valeska (Cameron Monaghan), a version of The Joker within the show.
A talented character actor, he has played many roles across the Marvel and DC Universes. In the MCU, he was Kurt and Veb in the Ant-Man franchise; while for DC he played Abra Kadabra in TV show The Flash, and Polka-Dot Man in James Gunn’s 2021 blockbuster The Suicide Squad.
Outside of the comic book world, he has worked on three films with Denis Villeneuve: Prisoners, Blade Runner 2049, and Dune. He also appeared in independent hit Late Night With The Devil in the lead role of a talk show host. The film was named the best horror movie of 2024, according to critics.
His ambition to be a Bond villain is something he has talked about before, disclosing his passion in a 2023 interview.