James Gunn & David Dastmalchian on Adding Depth to Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad

While speaking to Total Film, The Suicide Squad writer-director James Gunn and actor David Dastmalchian discussed Polka-Dot Man’s role in the film and wanting to elevate the character beyond being seen as one of the “dumbest characters ever.” The film arrives in theaters and HBO Max on August 6. Below are some highlights.

Gunn on the film’s use of practical sets: “I love seeing things on set as they happen. And I love being able to give something for the actors and the camera folks to deal with practically. By having so many enormous practical sets in this movie, I think it just makes for a richer experience, a more creative one. The Suicide Squad has more practical effects than all of my [previous] movies combined.”

Gunn on why he sought to use Polka-Dot Man in the film: “Polka-Dot Man is great, but I did think I needed a character who’s thought of as one of the dumbest ever. So I went and looked online, ‘Who’s the dumbest DC character of all time?’ and it was Polka-Dot Man. We’ve turned that character who’s a sad, pathetic character into a character who’s depressed because people think he’s stupid. He has a very tragic story that you learn about throughout the film – to be able to add depth to characters who are thought of as the silliest is a fun thing for me to do.”

David Dastmalchian on Polka-Dot Man’s backstory: “I can tell you that my character Abner is someone who has lived a lifetime with a lot of pain, a lot of shame, a lot of solitude because of a condition that he has. That condition was something that he decided at a certain point in time would be best suited to hurt other people or at least perform acts of crime, so that he could get some vengeance against a cruel and unfair world. Things haven’t gone great in Abner’s life basically since day one, so as we find him entering this story, he’s somebody that has never been a part of anything, so even in a bunch of really broken misfits and criminals, he’s maybe found one of the first moments in his life where he’s a part of something.”

Dastmalchian on this being his dream role: “It’s all I ever dreamed of getting to do as an actor! Since I was a little boy watching Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney, dreaming about getting to do a fully realised actual performance incorporating an intense practical make-up… Of course, there’s going to be amazing digital effects – and we have the best digital effects team in the business on this on this film – but James wants so much gritty, tangible practicality in what the audience is going to experience. I’m just excited for people to experience that.”