Lester Billings is one of the main characters inStephen Kings short story.
Dastmalchian was sent the script byDan Cohenof 21 Laps who insisted he was perfect for Lester Billings.
Dastmalchian explained what happened next:
I read it and I said, Absolutely not.
No interest in portraying Lester Billings.
I don’t care to go there.
I’ve done too much stuff in the darkness.
Image via Disney
I need a break, and I can’t do it.
We’re coming out of a pandemic.
What exactly happened during that meeting that gave Dastmalchian the confidence that hed be in good hands with Savage?
Image via Disney
[I] Lost really important people to me over the last few years.
Grief is a bitch.
It is as horrifying as some of the human emotions can be that we experience.
Turns out, Dastmalchians instincts were on point.
He filmed the scene and described the experience as a gift.
Things could go sideways.
I think that scene just has so much weight on it.
This scene needs to work.
If it doesn’t work, the film doesn’t work.
The Boogeymans Lester Billings is a hugely intimidating, high-pressure character to tackle.
It makes sense that Dastmalchian would label it one of his scariest roles yet.
In addition to Lester, what character was Dastmalchian most scared to jump into?
Heres what he said:
They’re all scary to be quite honest.
I was terrified, I made a film called Animals that deals with addiction.
There’s a lot on stage as well.
Eager to hear more from Dastmalchian about the making ofThe Boogeymanand about his experience reuniting withChristopher NolanforOppenheimer?
Check out our full conversation in the video at the top of this article!
