On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast’s spin-off series, host Nick Dawson sits down with actor, writer and all-around fascinating human David Dastmalchian, whose beautiful debut graphic novel Through was just published. In an engrossing and often very profound conversation, the two discuss David’s fascinating (and impressively genre-tinged) recurring nightmares, his mother’s emotional supernatural encounter with her first love, his childhood fear of hell, how “doing the work” led him to write Through … and much more, including why David insisted this episode be titled “Pedal to the Metal”! For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse at talkhouse.com/film. Subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast.
0:00 — Intro
3:06 — Do you remember your dreams and/or nightmares?
6:01 — Recurring horror dreams, stress dreams, and lucid dreaming
12:47 — Do you believe in ghosts and the supernatural?
16:50 — Living “in the gray” between ideas and spiritual interconnectivity
20:19 — Concepts of religious hell and fearing hell as a child
22:55 — Favorite films about religion, and exploring religion in creative communities
25:35 — Titling podcast episodes - “Put the pedal to the metal”
26:51 — “Can you think of a time when you nearly gave up?” and addiction
30:08 — Attempting to take his own life
31:46 — Sobriety, relapsing, and managing his anxiety and depression
34:37 — Mining your own experiences in writing, and David’s new book, Through
38:58 — “How comfortable are you with discomfort?," coping mechanisms, and consumerism
44:49 — “What kind of a life would you want to live?”
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