Ant-Man star David Dastmalchian has an ‘endless pool’ of gratitude for his sobriety
David Dastmalchian is nothing but grateful for being sober for twenty years.
The “Ant-Man” star, who struggled with heroin addiction for five years before becoming an actor, says his sobriety is what tells him.
“For anything else, the endless pool of gratitude I feel over the past two decades of this journey, living without drugs and alcohol, informs absolutely all the work I do as an actor and the thoughts on the characters I want to bring to life,” he told Page Six EXCLUSIVELY on Tuesday. New York premiere of his latest movie, ‘Boston Strangler’.
Dastmalchian, 47, first started using drugs in high school, but his addiction escalated while he was studying theater at DePaul University in Chicago.
After graduating he became homeless and lived in his car for two years. The ‘Teacher’ actor later started the road to recovery when his family helped him into a psychiatric facility, followed by rehab and then a sober home.
Dastmalchian wrote about his heroin addiction in the 2014 movie Animals, which he also starred in.
In “Boston Strangler,” he plays notorious serial killer Albert DiSalvo, who is alleged to be He confessed to killing 13 women in the Boston area from 1962 to 1964.
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The film tells the true story of reporter Loretta McLaughlin (played by Keira Knightley), who was the first person to link the chain of murders.
It also delves into whether DeSalvo, who was murdered in prison in 1973 at the age of 42, She was actually responsible for all 13 murders.
Dastmalchian says he delved into DeSalvo’s life in order to prepare to take on the role.
“There’s an incredible series of books and research out there, so I figured I was going to bring this character to life — and please believe me, that was no small task on my part,” he told us.
“I don’t for a moment underestimate the importance of reviving someone who caused pain to so many people – and it was a real person who was in a great deal of pain.”
Dastmalchian said he also tracked down an audio clip of DeSalvo while he was being questioned by investigators and would “sit with him, live with him, and think about his childhood.”
He added, “This man who drove around Boston – this dark, tormented soul that hurt women.”
Portraying the dark role “wasn’t a fun job, but I was so grateful to do it,” Dastmalchian says.
Other celebrities at the Film Society show included Knightley, Carrie Coon, and Chris Cooper. They were joined at the after party at Le Rock by Casey Affleck, David Burtka, Sarita Choudhury and Chris Henchy.
