David Dastmalchian explained Polka Dot Man’s unique powers and costume in The Suicide Squad.
During a set visit attended by ScreenRant and other outlets, Dastmalchian explained the psychology behind the powers of Polka Dot Man, aka Abner, in the new movie.
“The abilities that my character has could be looked at in two ways, either as an ability or as a disability, as something that can cause excruciating amounts of pain and embarrassment,” Dastmalchian said. “So, building out and fleshing out a character who… I immediately found like a kindred connection with Abner, was this sense of how that would weigh me down. How pain can cause a person’s body to kind of come inwards, and how shame can cause a person’s body to come downward. So it was inward and downward [and it] was kind of like finding all my physicality for Abner. And the voice grows out of that. So when I start thinking about how to build the character, to think about how his voice would work, and think about how all those mechanisms happened.”
Dastmalchian then explained how his view of the character and his powers tied into his acting: “As you saw with the dots… they can be literally like, almost look like sores on my body. It’s really intensely painful. So that absolutely helped shape how I was going to move and fight and sit, and do all the things that I’ll do in the film. And then again, how a disability or something… that you’re embarrassed of, or that hurts you, finding a way that you can then suddenly do something with it that’s more than just suffering. Maybe it even could have a purpose. Then that changes the way you move, the way that you sit, the way you talk.”
The actor was then asked if the polka-dotted suit serves as a way of containing the powers, but Dastmalchian said it’s more like the suit lets him channel his ability.
“I would say it is a focusing mechanism for certain. Containment, no. Focusing, for certain,” he said. And elements of the costume, which will be fun to discover, because that is a neat plot reveal, are weaponized in a really cool way.”
Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad stars Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Michael Rooker as Savant, Flula Borg as Javelin, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Mayling NG as Mongal, Peter Capaldi as The Thinker, Alice Braga as Solsoria, Sylvester Stallone as King Shark, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, Nathan Fillion as TDK, Sean Gunn as Weasel, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and John Cena as Peacemaker, with Steve Agee, Taika Waititi and Storm Reid. The film arrives in theaters and on HBO Max Aug. 6.
Source: via ScreenRant
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