While a hefty paycheck is often the biggest appeal for starring in a cinematic franchise, appearing in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune franchise also comes with a heap of critical acclaim. Timothée Chalamet leads the cast of Dune: Part One as Paul Atreides, and he’s supported by an ensemble comprising some of Hollywood’s finest actors, including Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, and David Dastmalchian.

Dastmalchian may not yet be a household name like some of his co-stars, but he seems perfectly at home on the planet Arrakis. While some of this is a testament to Dastmalchian’s acting abilities, it may also be because Dune is the actor’s third movie with Villeneuve. Dastmalchian appeared in the director’s Blade Runner 2049 (2017) as Coco and Prisoners (2013) as Bob Taylor. The latter film in particular earned Dastmlachian heaps of acclaim, and though he doesn’t appear in the Dune 2 cast, his work in the first movie is worth a shoutout.

David Dastmalchian Plays Piter De Vries In Dune: Part One

Piter Serves At The Behest Of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen

In Dune: Part One, David Dastmalchian plays Piter De Vries, a Mentat (essentially a human computer) who serves the villainous Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård). While Piter may not be the master villain, that doesn’t mean Dastmalchian wasn’t perfectly creepy and terrifying, and the actor put a lot of thought and work into his character. He told THR,

When I read Denis’ script, I decided I was going to look at the book again for more inspiration, but I didn’t want to look at any previous films. My gut instinct about Piter was this: I felt that he was the hybrid of HAL 9000, Bib Fortuna and Toht [Ronald Lacey’s character in Raiders of the Lost Ark]. That was the character I was creating. Then I got to Budapest and we did a makeup test where Donald and his team put me into the Piter makeup and it was so freaking amazing and terrifying. And then I got to go do a fitting for my costume. It was beyond my wildest dreams. It was this S&M-y, hellish, demonic-cult-like attire. It felt so perfect.

Dastmalchian truly was perfect for the role, and director Denis Villeneuve knew he would be all along. This is exactly why Villeneuve personally called Dastmalchian, and offered him the part of Piter. As Dastmlachian tells it,

He told me that he wanted me to play Piter. He said he was going to send me the script. I said, ‘I already know the answer is yes.’ I’ll follow him into the fire. He said, ‘I’ll send you the script. I think you should read it.’ I said, ‘I’m in.’

Clearly, this unwavering trust between the two artistic collaborators is mutual. Earlier in the interview, Dastmalchian credited Villeneuve for reviving his career with Prisoners after it had stalled in the late 2000s following his feature film debut in 2008’s The Dark Knight (he played Thomas Schiff, the Joker’s henchman). However, working with Villeneuve on Dune was bittersweet for Dastmalchian for one major reason.

What Dastmalchian Said About Working On Dune (& Not Participating In Dune 2)

He Felt Major “FOMO” For Not Being In The Sequel

Despite Denis Villeneuve turning Dune into a multi-movie franchise, his collaborator David Dastmalchian was only destined to appear in the first movie. Dune: Part One saw many major character deaths, including Piter De Vries’, who died from poisonous gas released by Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) in an attempt to ᴀssᴀssinate Baron Harkonnen. It was an epic moment in the movie, though it was bittersweet for the Piter actor, as Dastmalchian confessed to having “FOMO” (fear of missing out) at not being able to take part in Dune 2. He told Cinema Blend,

“Feel a lot of FOMO right now for sure. I wish I could be there with my Harkonnen and even my Atreides friends and family, but most importantly, I wish I could be there with Denis [Villeneuve] and just see the pride in his eyes and the smile on his face as crowds and crowds and millions of people get to experience this incredible achievement that he has manifested.”

However, Dastmalchian unsurprisingly holds no ill will at being killed out of the franchise, and he continued to sing Villeneuve’s praises in the interview:

“[Denis Villeneuve] is such a special human being. And I just wish I could be there to hug him and watch the movie with him with entire cinemas full of fans because I know, I know how much he’s given to make this thing happen. And I know that it has been, you know, his life’s work has led to this moment, and I’m so happy.”

What’s Next For David Dastmalchian

He’ll Appear As Mr. 3 In One Piece Season 2

Even though David Dastmalchian didn’t participate in Dune 2 — nor will he appear in the much-anticipated Dune 3 — his career certainly hasn’t died along with Piter De Vries. In fact, the opposite is true, as Dastmalchian’s prolific post-Dune career includes playing the starring role, Jack Delroy, in the critically acclaimed 2023 horror movie, Late Night with the Devil. 2023 overall proved a banner year for Dastmalchian, as he also appeared in the cast of Best Picture winner Oppenheimer as lawyer William L. Borden.

Dastmalchian looks to continue making a name for himself as a “scream king”, as 2025 will see him star in two horror movies — The Cure, opposite Ashley Greene and Samantha Cochran, and Dust Bunny, opposite Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver. However, neither of these is the most exciting upcoming credit in David Dastmalchian’s filmography. That would be season 2 of Netflix’s critically acclaimed live-action One Piece adaptation, in which David Dastmalchian will play the villainous Mr. 3. Now that’s something to scream about.